


Sucker for a Happy Ending

by ValkyrieCry



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: AU-No One Dies, Happy Ending, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:56:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 43,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14121669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyrieCry/pseuds/ValkyrieCry
Summary: West Borough High is dealing with something new and not altogether expected; a transfer student. Some say she’s in the Witness Protection Program, others say she burned her school to the ground, while some believe she’s a secret model.Still, having gotten what he wants and having learned a valuable lesson, Jeremy is just happy to deal with the voices in his head like a normal person. Veronica is too smart to let that be the end, though; she knows all too well about voices in one’s head...





	1. Have you Heard?

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since I heard of Be More Chill, I just knew some sort of Heathers crossover had to happen, and this is the product. The first chapter’s a bit short, but I hope you like it!

“Did you hear?” “No, I heard that it’s a guy.” “No, Jenna said it’s a girl.”

As Jeremy walked down the hall, smiling to himself and thinking about play rehearsal with Christine, he couldn’t help but hear the whispers. What were they about. “Yo, buddy!”

He turned, smiling as Michael ran up, the two easily slipping into their bro-shake. “Man, you hear about the new student?”

“Now I have,” Jeremy said with a smile. “Seems like the talk of the school, though.”

“Yeah, I haven’t heard much, just that there’s a new transfer and it’s a chick. I think she’s supposed to be really cool, or something, I don’t know.” Michael shrugged, and the two walked side by side, chatting about what they were gonna do with the next week.

“Hey, you need to meet Nicole,” Michael said, a dopey smile spreading across his lips. 

Jeremy made a kissy face, laughing when Michael playfully shoved him. “Sure man, just tell me when.”

The two were just about to split up when suddenly, Rich slid up, grabbing them both. “You hear about the new girl?”

He had a look that made the two roll there eyes. It had been two months, and while Rich wasn’t a dick anymore, he was a horn dog. “Nah, what about her?”

“Thhe’s hot, man! Like, really hot! I don’t think I’ve ever theen thomeone tho hot, and thhe definitely is cool, but thhe writes a lot. Thhe seems...” he trailed off, lost in thought. “Thhe theemth like thhe’th been through something, though, man. Like, something bad.”

“It would make sense; four of her friends commit suicide at her last school, one being her boyfriend, and another friend tried to kill herself after.”

The started, turning to see Jenna, standing precariously behind them, leaning forward excitedly. “Where’d you hear that, Jenna?”

Chloe, standing a few feet away, scoffed, blowing a bubble. “Actually, I saw it on the News a few months ago. It was, like, one of her best friends, then these two football players, then her boyfriend, though they didn’t say how he died. It was pretty bad. I found out about her other friend from my parents; they work with hers. She flew in over the weekend, and was staying with a friend while her parents moved in. Guess they wanted to move her away from that.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Michael said, a bit stunned. How did she deal?

Then, the bell rang, and the group scattered, rushing to first period. The whole time, Jeremy wondered; about this new girl, about the deaths, and surprisingly, about the Squip. Could something like that be its fault?  
—

Veronica walked quietly down the hall, tired and drained of any motivation to keep going to school. She didn’t know why Heather had directed her to go here, but it seemed pretty important, so she listened. She had a feeling it was a really good idea. She didn’t like being new, though; it was like the first day of senior year again, except she was a hot topic that everyone liked, not someone to laugh at. She had seen a few guys check her out, but otherwise, she hadn’t interacted with any students yet. She wasn’t really all that interested.

It was once lunch hit that she finally talked to another student; it was a heavier girl, not quite as heavy as Martha, but not thin, and a really short guy. The girl introduced herself as Jenna, and the guy was Rich. “You’re Veronica, right?”

She laughed, hoping it didn’t sound strained. “Talk of the school, huh? Yeah, I’m Veronica, nice to meet you.”

She was dragged over to a mostly full table, and she heard Heather. “Oh, Ronnie, always the little baby, being taken under the popular kids’ wings.”

She felt a flare of irritation, but carefully calmed herself. She knew it was bad to get mad about the things Heather said. At the table were three boys and three girls, two of the three girls talking animatedly while the last girl and a gangly boy held hands, both involved in separate conversations, every now and then glancing between each other, smiling.

Veronica felt a bit sad, and wished Mac was there; Heather always made her feel safe and loved, and couples were...painful to watch. When she walked up, it was pretty obvious that the more talkative of the two Girls didn’t like how the guy next to her was looking at Veronica, and she didn’t much like it, either. The boys on the other side were studying her, not so much in a sexual way, but as if they were looking at something very interesting.

She felt uncomfortable when they began to whisper amongst each other, and Jenna introduced her, pulling a chair up for her. “Tho, how’s your first day, going, girl?” Rich asked, giving her a sultry smile, which she ignored.

“It’s fine,” she said with a smile, nearly jumping though when she heard a sharp bark of laughter. Heather. Again.

“Oh, Veronica, you’re a terrible liar. You were bored, thought you should go home, and maybe go snuggle with Mama Heather again,” she said viciously, standing behind the gangly boy.

“I-I’m sorry, I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” she said, rushing in. There were students in there, but they didn’t seem to have claim over the stalls, and she grabbed one, pressing her back to the door. She couldn’t do this; she wanted to go back to Sherwood. She couldn’t stand it, couldn’t deal with Heather alone. Sure, the boys could be irritating, but it was almost worse; Heather never felt remorse, and hated her. She head a knock, and a voice she didn’t recognize. 

“Hello, Veronica? I’m Christine, I was at the table, and you didn’t look so good. Are you feeling okay?”

She felt a bubble of hysterical laughter, for some reason. Seems the pressure of having left was finally getting to her. “No,” she said, voice trembling, and her eyes began to blur.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Christine asked, and Veronica wanted to just hug the smaller girl, but she simply said, “No, just some ghosts that won’t leave me alone.”

“Well, if you need anything, I’m here. Oh! Here, my number! Call if anything’s wrong, or if you just want to talk, okay?”’

From under the door, a scrap of paper slid toward her feet, and she stared down at it, shocked. Then, she heard the girl scurrying away, and the door closing. She could hear Heather, almost purring. “Well, isn’t she nice? Do you think she’ll become you BFF, maybe you can talk about boys and braid each other’s hair?”

Veronica picked up the piece of paper, sliding it into her pocket. Maybe she would call her. Still, she needed to get back out there, hopefully not making anymore problems for herself. After checking to make sure she was put together, she headed out, and made her way back to the table. Everyone was laughing and smiling, but no one looked at her. It was actually odd; no one was that polite or oblivious. Still, she took what she could get, and left it at that.

She listened to them talk about stupid teenager things, and when the bell rang, she felt almost like she had made friends. Just a few more classes, then she was home free!  
—

The man, or the boy, since he wasn’t yet 18, hummed a tune, listening intently. He walked casually through the city, enjoying the sounds around him, and he watched as a building crumpled, leaving a thick layer of dust and dirt to slowly fall to the ground, something he had seen many times. He gently swung his trench coat, tears leaving the bottom frayed while the back was fuzzy with popped threads and undone cloth, and laughed just a bit. He would make them pay; they would ALL pay for what happened to Veronica.

He broke off after a few seconds, coughing and clenching his chest. The wound was healed, but the damage was left. Still, he had made it out with his life, not that he remembered what had happened or why. All he knew is that someone had gotten to him before he could get to...West-something. He didn’t know what had happened, but he would find out. And he would get revenge; for Veronica.


	2. Always Here For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, don’t get too excited, but this is prologue part 2. I wanted to set up information for all, and I wanted to establish some relationships. Now, on to the chapter!

When Veronica no-last-name has shown up, Michael and Jeremy had begun to study her. She was very pretty, that was for sure, but Rich has been right; something didn’t seem right. She seemed a bit...hollow. “Why do you think she’s...off?” Michael whispered to him, leaning in a bit closer.

Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe she’s not taking the deaths well, ya know? I mean, my dad didn’t wear pants for, like, 8 months after him and my mom separated. Maybe she’s going through something like that.”

Michael shook his head. “I don’t know, it reminds me of you when you had the Squip; almost like she’s not the only one making decisions in her head, and she’s afraid of anyone finding out.”

“Woahwoahwoah, What? I wasn’t like-“

Jeremy was cut off by Veronica jumping to her feet and excusing herself to go to the bathroom, and he could spot the telltale strain in her voice if someone on the brink of crying, and They all watched her go. “Is she okay?”

Christine smacked his arm, eliciting a yelp from Jeremy. “Stop it! Of course she’s upset, she’s probably already uncomfortable, and your whispering didn’t help!”

Michael and He has the decency to look embarrassed as Christine got up, walking toward the bathroom. Maybe they shouldn’t have talked about her while she was right in front of them...

Nonetheless, Christine came back out shortly after she entered, and Veronica followed a minute or two later, seeming to be more cheerful. Gosh, Jeremy would have to ask Christine how she always did that.   
—

Heather MacNamara didn’t like the idea of Veronica going to another school. When her family had moved, She had offered to let Veronica stay with her, and for a while, she had. But one day, out of the blue, she had a change of heart, and had packed up what little she had left, and had bit farewell to Westerburg High. Even though, Veronica had chosen to leave, she felt like it wasn’t what she wanted. So, that very night, Heather called her up.

The line rang a few times, then Veronica’s mother, she couldn’t really remember her name, picked up, answering brightly before calling for Veronica. She almost sided, feeling better when she heard Veronica’s voice. “Hey, Heather, it’s good to hear from you.”

“Oh, you!” She squealed, “I was so worried, you promised you’d call once you got safely to your house! I was so worried!”

“Calm down, Heather,” Veronica said with a smothered chuckle, and that made Heather feel better. “You already said that. Sorry, I should’ve called sooner, but I wasn’t really in the mood to talk when I got here.”

Veronica was silent for a while, and Heather started to get nervous. “Veronica? Is everything okay?”

Then, she heard it; the little bubble of sound that let her know that Veronica was crying, like a mixture of a hiccup and a gasp. “Veronica, what’s wrong? Are they mean to you there? Is anyone harassing you?”

“N-no, that’s not it, it’s nice here,” Veronica answered quickly, voice crackling. “I just, I miss you and Martha. It’s-it’s hard to deal with this alone.”

Heather set her mouth into a line, straightening her back. “You know we’re always here for you Ronnie. Even Heather, though she doesn’t seem so nice. If you need to talk, come to us. If you can’t, well...I’ll come to you.”

The sound of Veronica’s voice catching was something she hadn’t heard before. “Do-do you mean it?”

She had never heard Ronnie so hopeful, so trusting. She couldn’t betray that trust. “Every word. Ronnie, you saved my life, and gave me a place to be safe. I’m gonna do the same for you. I promise, there’s nothing I won’t try and help you with.”

“...Even if I’ve done something unforgivable?”

Veronica’s quiet reply was a bit startling, but Heather took it in stride. “Veronica, I called you to get date-raped in my place, and you still forgave me. I’ll do my best to be just as kind and forgiving.”

Veronica let out a laugh, her ever-awkward one that brought her voice low, and Heather joined in, wiping at her eyes. Talking about those things was getting to her, too. With a smile, she asked about Veronica’s first day, feeling as if another barrier had been breached between her and Veronica.  
—

Jason Dean has woken up in the ER, near the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, not that he knew how he got there or why he was there, just that he was in a hospital and his chest hurt like hell. He was told he had been spotted on the side of the road wandering aimlessly with severe damage to his back and chest, but that it was a miracle he was alive at all. Somehow, he had gotten shot, escaped his attacker, been hit by what appeared to be shrapnel, and made his way toward Pennsylvania, or at least that’s their theory. It would have been a snap to get him home, but J.D. refused to give them his name, claiming he couldn’t remember. He didn’t want to go home, wherever that was, not with his dad there and no Veronica.

It was after he had finally been released to Child Protective Services, his injuries all healed up, that he ran away, taking his trench coat with him. He used it as a disguise when people looked at him, made him almost look homeless, and therefore made him less interesting, more-likely to be avoided. That would make it easier to get back to that school, burn it to the ground.

Or, that was the plan, until J.D. realized he couldn’t remember the name, the state, or even the look of the school he wanted to destroy. It put a real twist in his plans, one that made his work nearly impossible to complete. At least he knew he couldn’t be too far from where he had gone for the few weeks he’d lived...there. Wherever there was.for now, he was just going to have to look around at high schools in the neighbouring states, hoping he found one that sparked his memory. And, after eliminating any possibility of it being Pennsylvania, he headed toward New Jersey. Might as well get that out of the way.  
—

Jeremy and his father had just finished eating dinner when he got the call; it was Jenna, excitedly chattering away. “Hey, are you free Thursday night? We wanna take Veronica to go get some froyo, maybe walk around the mall, what do you think? She could really use it!”

“Yeah, I’ll text you back the verdict, Jenna. Dad’s got the final word,” he said, smiling a little. I’m was good to have his dad back, even if it meant he never got to do anything alone again. 

Jenna gave a sound of affirmation, hanging up in an excited flurry. Jenna and her communication skills. Still. He walked into the living room, seeing his dad relaxing on the couch, blessedly wearing pants. “Hey, dad, that was Jenna. There’s this new girl, and everyone’s gonna get together on Thursday to hang out with her. Can I go?”

Over all, Mr. Heere had grown as a man, and when he looked over at his son, Jeremy looked back with nothing but respect. It was gratifying to know his son respected him. With a smile, he nodded. “New girl? What’s her name?”

Jeremy smiled, sitting across from his dad. “Her name’s Veronica, and Jenna told me that she just left her school cuz a bunch of friends died. I don’t know how true it is, but she seems pretty messed up about it. I don’t know, how would I be able to help her?”

Mr. Heere rubbed his beard, brow furrowed. This was a problem; helping someone deal with loss was a process, not just a one day thing. “Tell you what; just do what you would do to make Michael feel better, only thing along the lines of what you’d say in front of Christine, got it?”

Jeremy smiled, and stood, clapping his dad on the shoulder as he went by. “Thanks, dad!”

Turning back to the television, Mr. Here’s mind wandered on the subject of this Veronica. What had actually happened to the girl?


	3. Rich Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, time to kickstart the plot!

The next morning, Veronica was just closing her locker when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned quickly, and saw a very excited Jenna standing next to Rich. “Veronica, hey!” She said, almost bouncing before she composed herself.

“We were wondering if...you’d want to go to the mall Thursday night. It’s okay, no pressure, but we thought you’d maybe want someone to show you some fun. I mean, moving can be really hard, so we-yeah.”

Veronica didn’t know whether or not she should really hang out with them, but she nodded, if a bit hesitantly. “Y-eah, I guess I can...”

“Great!” Jenna declared, opening her mouth again to say something more when the bell rang. “Oh! Well, we’ll be meeting at 5:30, so just be at the food court by then, okay?”

Then, she was gone, vanished into the crowd. Veronica and Rich stood quietly for a moment before the two hurriedly headed toward their classes, side-by-side. “Tho,” Rich started, glancing over at her, “Why’d you an’ your family move here?”

She knew Heather was there, even before she groaned. “God, this guy’s a total tool, Ronnie. Just like your last Psychopath boy-toy. Oh, I get it, you just like the weird ones, don’t you? Oh, I should have known; tossing your panties at the crazies. God, that’s just, so, pathetic.”

Veronica clenched her fist tightly, shaking just a little bit. She wouldn’t let her push her buttons. “Uh, Veroni-ka? Are ya feelin’ okay?”

“I’m fine!” She said, a little too harshly, and instantly felt bad. “Sorry, I’m fine, just a little...stressed is all.”

She turned her eyes back to Heather, who had given her that infuriating little cackle. “Aww, maybe you should screw him, get rid of some of that stress!”

Veronica glared, mouth shut tight, not realizing Rich was looking at her, eyes filling with shocked recognition. Rich looked over, just to confirm the air was empty where Veronica was staring, and back to her. Her gaze was intense. As she turned back to him, he had to wonder; was she-?

“My parents wanted to take a better job opportunity, and moved here. It was just a decision I made out of nowhere to move out here, too. I guess I just needed some space from Sherwood.”

Rich nodded, still wondering as she said good bye, running into her class. Was it possible she was Squiped?  
—

When the bell rang for lunch, Veronica made her way to the table, feeling a discomfort at sitting in a seat so foreign to her. Still, it was a slight relief to receive smiles from everyone, even Michael and...Whatever his name was. Or, at least she thought everyone was smiling. The head bitch here, Chloe, was giving her a scathing look for some reason, and she chose to ignore the clear sign of hostility when the kid with the name she couldn’t remember spoke up.

“Hey, Veronica, right? I’m Jeremy-“

“And I’m Michael,” said-boy added, smiling impishly at his friend. “We wanted to say hi, ask you what you like, you know.”

Before she could say anything, though, Chloe gave a little snort-scoff; the sound a person who thought they were just so much better made. “Clearly, you don’t like fashion; seriously, what time are you from, 1990? Who wears that?!”

Her friend, a blonde that reminded her of MacNamara, was gaping, staring at Chloe. “Chlo, that’s a bitch thing to say,” the other guy, Jay? Jake? Said, glowering at her. But Veronica didn’t gape or glower or cry. She laughed. “Okay, yeah, I’m not really a fashionista. I don’t know why, I’m just bad with clothes, but it was popular in Sherwood, and my friends thought I looked good, so I wear it. Anyway, clothes don’t make a person better; someone can be a total personality-less shell, and they can look good, too.”

Chloe’s face began to turn red, and her face scrunched up. She glared, and Brooke could just tell that she was gonna hold a grudge. She looked between them, trying to figure out who was right in this situation. Side with Chlo, or with Veronica? She didn’t like this option. Still, Chloe had started it for no reason!

Brooke waited to make her move until after the lunch bell rang. It was the one time they went opposite ways, and after hugging her BFF goodbye, she rushed after Veronica. “Veronica, wait!” She called, relieved when the crowd finally revealed her, waiting.

Stopping in front of her, she began to rub her arm. “Look, I’m really sorry about Chloe, she shouldn’t have said that, it’s mean and not true.”

Veronica’s expressions softened, and she gently touched her fidgeting hand. “It’s okay, I’m not mad at her, and she’s far from the first person to call out my fashion sense to make fun of me. I can hold my own. You just stand by her; everyone needs good friends to look out for them.”

Brooke looked at her, face slightly sad. “But what about you?” She said, and Veronica was a bit shocked by the question.

She smiled, turning a bit to leave. “Don’t worry about me.” And then, she was swallowed up again by the crowd, leaving Brooke with a distinctly lonely feeling.  
—

Thursday night came quicker than Veronica had expected it would. She had been a bit distant the last two days, and wondered whether or not anyone would actually be there. Still, she wouldn’t bail on them if they did show up, and she arrived at 5, planning to wander a bit. She walked past another store window, and couldn’t help but smile at her reflection. She loved the outfit she was wearing, a pretty blue dress with fur lining that Heather had gotten her when she decided to leave. She was able to wear her old scar with it, and it made her smile to see the well-loved wool around her neck. She was just about to head for the food court when someone called her name, the distinct lisp letting her know immediately who it was. She turned around, smiling at Rich, who gave he a toothy grin, looking her up and down. “You look great, Veroni-Ka.”

“Thanks,” She said, smoothing the dress down. Heather had amazing taste, and it was all the more special because it was a gift. “I was just heading over to the food court.”

“Hey, can we talk for a minute?” Rich said suddenly, no longer giving her a flirtatious look.

“Oh, um, sure.”

He lead he to a small sitting area, studying her. When she had sat down, he asked, “So, ith it true that your friendth killed themthelveth?”

It took her half a second to realize what he was asking, and it was like a punch to the gut. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but she was so tired of the lie. Still, she slowly nodded, not wanting to look at him, for him to see the truth in her eyes. “I wish it had never happened,” she whispered, thinking about the three teenagers that had lost their lives. They could have been incredible, could have changed their path, but instead, her and J.D. took away any chance they would ever have.

“I know how you feel,” Rich said quietly, looking away as well. “I almost got my betht friend killed because of my stupid actions.”

Veronica looked at him, and she grabbed on of his hands, squeezing it tightly, which he returned. The two looked at each other, and it was like something had clicked, and they fit together. They understood each other’s pain. She held his hand for just a moment longer, then let go, resting it in her lap.

“Tho,” he continued, his tone lighter. “What did you used to do at your other thchool?”

Veronica’s eyes widened, and she looked at her hands. What did she do at Westerberg. She had spent so much time on her education and staying away from bullies, she had never thought to do anything, extracurricular or otherwise. “Well, I-I studied a lot, since I want to get into an Ivy League College,” she said, awkwardly crossing her arms.

“That’th really cool! What did you do with friendth?”

“Well, my friend Martha and I would watch a lot of movies, and before I left, one of my other friends, Heather, started joining us, but I would usually go home and write in my diary.”

“Really? That doesn’t sound like a normal Popular person’s schedule,” he stated, the question evident in his tone.

“No, no, I, ah, I wasn’t always popular.”

Rich watched her, leaning back to get comfortable. “Well, my old school had a group of really popular girls; the Heathers. Each one had the first name Heather. They ruled the school, and I wanted to be just like them. So, on the first day of Senior year, I helped them out by chance, and Heather Chandler, the leader of the Heathers, decided she wanted to add me to her little rainbow brigade. So, she picked out new clothes, fixed my hair, and even gave me a place to be.”

She looked up, and saw his closed off expression. Of course, he wouldn’t want to be friends with a former loser like her-

“I wathn’t popular, either.”

“What?” Veronica said, and he continued. “I uthed to be at the bottom of the food tain, but then I met someone who taught me how to be popular, at the expenth of everything good about me. So, I finally stopped lithening to him, and I now have real friends.”

Before Veronica could respond, something caught his attention, and he hoped up, waving. “Hey, Guyth!”

Behind them, Michael, Jeremy and Christine were walking toward them, smiling and laughing. “Come on, guys, we’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now; you know how much Jenna cares about that.”

That was how Veronica found herself spirited away, toward an elevator with a group of juniors surrounding her. Well, at least she felt like she belonged, but she needed to talk with Rich about that some more later...


	4. The Mall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone loves this chapter! I’m a little surprised by how popular this became; I wasn’t thinking many would read it, but I will keep working to bring you good work!

When they finally made it to the food court, Veronica had completely immersed herself in the comfort of the group, laughing and listening to Michael’s crazy stories. It was in that moment that her phone rang, breaking that spell, and everyone looked at her. “Oh, sorry! I’ll, uh, just, ya know, be over there,” she said, quickly fleeing from the stares. God, she hated that.

She answered, giving a slightly winded, “Yes?” As she brought it to her ear.

“Veronica, is everything okay?”

It was Heather. “Yeah, Sorry, I just had to find a quieter place. What’s, uh, what’s up?”

“Well, you know how Christmas break starts in two weeks? Well, I was kind of hoping that I could...come visit! I thought about our talk Monday night, and decided you could use some company! Unless you’re, busy...”

“No! I’m totally available! Are you sure? You don’t have to come all the way here.”

Heather laughed, “Veronica, coming to see you is like coming home.”

Veronica blushed scarlet, stuttering over her words. “Ah, ah, Heather, t-thank you. That’s so kind. You’re like home for me, too.”

“Well, get back to your mall date, girl! I’ll call tomorrow, and we can plan all this. Goodnight, Veronica.”

With a soft smile, she hugged her dress tightly against her skin, rubbing a finger over the material. “Goodnight, Heather.”  
—

Chloe was anything but happy. Why? Well, for two reasons, actually. Her favourite boutique in the mall was closing, and Veronica Nobody was across the food court, smiling as she got off the phone. Why the Hell was she so happy, and who the fuck was she on the phone with?! What, having every guy’s attention( most troublingly Jake’s) at school wasn’t enough for her?

No, Chloe wasn’t gonna be the only miserable person here. Standing, she walked straight at the shorter girl, not looking up as she went to put her phone away, and slammed their shoulders together, knocking her phone out of her hands and almost knocking her to the ground. “Hey!” Veronica shouted, turning to look up at and glare.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you would be able to hold onto something as simple as a phone. Gosh, it must be hard to hold onto a guy, huh?”

Veronica was mad, that much Chloe could tell, but she couldn’t understand the spike of agony in her eyes. Veronica looked away, walking to pick up her phone, launched a good five feet away, but instead was greeted with Jake picking it up. “Sorry about that, Chloe’s an...acquired taste.” Then, he offered an encouraging grin, leading her toward the group. In that moment, Chloe hated her.  
—

“Okay, guys, so how about we break into groups, go look at anything we really want to, then make our way back here in an hour?” Jake seemed to be the leader of this little group, what with his Charisma and confidence, and started the full “activities” for their mall trip. It made her laugh to herself; she felt like she was at an old folks home; swimming laps in the pool, bridge games to your left, tours for the art museum leave at 2.

“Veroni-ka! Do ya wanna come wif Jake an’ me?”

Veronica was startled out of her personal joke, looking right into Rich’s face. “Sure,” She squeaked, not even knowing what she agreed to. Dang it, Veronica, get a grip! Who knows what you could agree to like that!

“W-what are we doing?” She asked as everyone else began to walk in separate directions, jogging a little to catch up with Jake, who was a good few yards away.

Jake and Rich exchanged smiles, something that made Veronica worried, before the two slowly crept closer to her. “Don’t worry about it, baby,” Jake said, giving her an over the top leer, and Rich slid just close enough to not touch her.

Just before she could run in the opposite direction, the two burst out laughing, giving her plenty of space. “Oh, we goth you good, girl!” 

“You Jerks!” She shouted at them, playfully pushing Rich’s shoulder, walking past the two, who instantly rushed to her side.

“Oh, don’t be mad, Veronica, it was just a joke! Here, I’ll tell you what we’re really doing, just don’t be mad anymore?” Jake said, Rich nodding on her other side.

“...Fine, but don’t do it again. So, you were gonna tell me what we’re doing?”

The two smiled, and Jake winked over at Rich. “We, dear Lady, are giving you the grand tour of the Mall!”

Rich provided janky fanfare, and Jake bowed deeply, smiling wide. “Oh, God, you two are such dorks!”

“Well, would you grathe uth lowly dorkth with thome information about you?” Rich asked, giving his best grin.

“Fine, boys, just enough with the acting; it’s gonna make me die of laughter.”

Jake looked a bit disappointed. “Damn, and I thought it was getting better,” he mumbled, and Rich walked over, patting his back.

“Jakey-D, you’re the only one who thought it wath gettin’ better.”

The two squabbled good naturedly, and Veronica felt a moment of ultimate removal. She didn’t belong here. Then, the two turned to her, and ushered her on, pointing out the best stores in the mall, along with some of the least-fun, along the lines of the mattress store. Finally, Jake fires a question. “So, how are you liking West Borough? Everyone treating you well?” 

Veronica nodded, looking toward him. “Yeah everyone’s been pretty nice. Well, except for Chloe, but-hey, speaking of which, do you know what problem she has with me?”

Jake seemed equally confused. “No, it doesn’t make any sense; she’s usually pretty nice to people, though she wasn’t always that way...” he trailed off, leaving Veronica even more confused. What did that even mean?

“Well, I’m sorry about Chloe,” he said, and she shook her head.

“It’s fine.”

After a few more moments, Jake spoke again. “So, Ver~ronica, are you dating anyone?”

The question didn’t really hurt anymore, it wasn’t like he absolutely knew how her last relationship ended, and she had gotten used to hearing it, even back at Westerburg. “No, I’m not dating anyone; I haven’t really looked for something new since my last one ended.”

As she kept walking, Rich grabbed Jake, pulling him behind her. “Dude!” He whispered furiously, “her ex killed himself!”

Jake’s expression crumbled a bit, and he let out a little groan. Perfect, just what Rich needed; the girl getting less-interested by being reminded of her dead ex. Grade-A wingman he was.

Ahead of them, Veronica was just walking past a store when she heard Heather. “Go in there, and head to the back, NOW.”

She almost wanted to question her, to not listen just on principle alone, but then Heather gave her a little angry shout. “Now!”

She quickly turned into the story, just about to call out to the boys behind her when Heather shushes her. “I swear to God, Veronica, shut up!”

Heather was herding her farther into the store, calling for Kurt and Ram, who faithfully appeared in their undies, waiting for her orders. “Go watch the door. I’ll keep an eye on Ronnie,” she said, and they rushed to do her bidding.

What Veronica didn’t see, though, was a familiar head of dark hair and the painfully sad face of J.D. looking around the mall, his signature trench coat replaced by a thick wool sweater. What can he say, sometimes it’s too cold to wear a completely wrecked trench coat, and he hadn’t found the right replacement yet. Just because he had problems doesn’t mean he couldn’t look good.

For example; at that moment, he was on his way to Payless, ready to get some new boots. The man behind the counter seemed a bit fidgety when he saw him, and even seemed shocked when J.D. asked for boots in a different size, almost as if he’d...

He was a dealer, he was a drug dealer. He thought J.D. might be a customer, that was for sure, at least for his little side business, and he’d been wrong. So, he did the only thing someone who used Slushees as a brain-killer would do; he followed the guy to the back, and while he looked for the replacement shoes, he looked for the drugs. It was actually sad how easy they were to find when he knew what he was looking for. The third box he opened was filled with little grey pills, roughly the size and shape of a tic tac, and he quickly shoved his hand in, pulling out as many as he could and shoving them in his pocket.

He closed the box and rushed back to the front, easily sitting down and humming along to the music in the store. When the man came back, he looked over, doing his best to smile genuinely when the man looked at him. “Here they are, right here. Now, is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”  
—

J.D. had just finished his purchase at Payless, and he was ready to test out the drug. Who knows, maybe he could drug some of the Diet-Cokeheads. So, he spent a good ten minutes looking for the perfect target. It was right outside of the food court that he found someone; a 15-year-old girl with bleached hair, wearing shorts that were completely out of season. Honestly, this girl was gonna die of hypothermia, not that it would change her fate in his mind. Maybe natural selection would take care of her before he could. He saw the perfect opportunity when she dropped her Pepsi, not seeming to notice. Grabbing it quickly, he screwed off the top, dropping one of the drugs in before re-screwing the cap and running after the girl. “Hey, I think you dropped this.”

She turned, startled by his hand on her shoulder, instead finding herself drawn in by his smile. “Oh, t-Thanks. I’m so clumsy.”

“Happens to everyone,” he said, walking away after handing it over, peering from behind an ad as she took a sip of the drink. He would have to follow her around for the rest of the evening.  
—

And an evening well-wasted, it was. Nothing, nothing! He followed her for five hours, all the way back to her house, nothing out of the ordinary! What the Hell! He pulled out one of the little pills, licking just the edge. Minty. It was a freaking Tic Tac! All that time, wasted, he could have plotted his revenge, maybe even looked into the records of the local school to see if anyone he had ever known had gone there.

He sighed, putting the mint in his mouth, letting it slowly dissolve. It tasted weird, almost metallic, but the mint was still there, an odd mask over the almost penny-like taste. When it was gone, he was confused; what was the point of selling it as a drug? Then, he headed off to 7-11. He was thinking about grabbing a Mountain Dew; it reminded him of Veronica...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, just a little warning; I may not upload a new chapter Er everyday for a little while, though I will attempt at it. I do love this story, and for everyone who’s tuned in, I thank you.:)


	5. Frozen Yogurt Toasts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I got this finished, a little gift, in case another one isn’t out soon.

Once the hour ends, everyone’s back to the food court, talking about who’ll drive who to go get frozen yogurt, Veronica ordered to not move from her seat. Seems listening to Heather caused her more problems, of course, than it solved. Jake and Rich had been terrified when they couldn’t initially find her, and had searched every store in the area, even the baby clothes shop. When they food at the back of American Eagle, she didn’t know someone could be so upset with her. They had made her swap numbers with both of them, and had promptly stayed beside her for the next fifty minutes, something Veronica wondered if Heather had wanted.

Nonetheless, she found herself squished between them in the car on the way there( Jake’s Mom was driving) and after getting her Froyo, which Rich demanded to pay for. She hadn’t dealt with people so pushy to do nice things for her since the Heathers gave her a makeover. So, sitting there eating her vanilla-chocolate swirl, seemed like the perfect time for Jeremy to talk with her. “So, you must be really happy to not be going to your last school, you know, after all the-the-“

Crap.

Christine gave him a look, and Michael facepalmed, the rest of the table having similar responses. “You don’t have to say anything, Veronica,” Christine said a bit tiredly, and the table became silent, almost uncomfortably so.

Finally, Brooke broke the silence. “So, Veronica, what are your friends like at your other school, huh?”

Veronica thought for a moment, slowly smiling. “My friends? My friends are pretty great; there’s Martha, she’s been my best friend since we were babies. We’re not as close now, but she’s always there when I need her, and is the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”

Then, her smile got a bit bigger. “My closest friend right now is Heather MacNamara, she worries a lot, but she’s a really awesome cheerleader, and cares a lot about others. Then, there’s Heather Duke, who runs the yearbook committee. She doesn’t really have a personality, but she’s not totally... yeah, I can’t really think of any compliment for her, she’s a bitch.”

Everyone laughed at that, all except for a glowering Chloe, and Veronica thought for a moment as her laughter slowed. She knew that Heather was there, listening in. “Finally, probably the most difficult of all my friends, who I’ve never been without since she...”

She trailed off, not wanting to make them feel any more uncomfortable. “Heather Chandler, the almighty. She was the leader of the whole school; took me under her wing and everyone practically worshipped her. She was a mythic bitch, that was for sure, but...she always looked out for me, in her own misguided little way. And I still can’t forgive myself for our last fight.”

The table got quiet, and Veronica felt something odd; it was almost like the sensation of a body holding her close, hugging her. She could smell Heather’s perfume, and for a split second, she could swear she felt the brush of her hair before the entire thing ended, whatever it was. “Well, then, a toast. To Heather Chandler,” Jake says, raising his spoon.

“The demon queen of Westerburg High,” Veronica added, and they all raised their spoons in a salute.  
—

They had just finished their Froyo. “So, Veronica, need a ride? My mom’s coming to get me in a minute, I can drop you off.”

“Well, I don’t want to put you out of the way, I don’t think we live in the same neighbourhood,” she said, and he shook his head. 

“Try me, where do you live?”

“I live over on Valleyfall, buy that park,” she said, and Rich jumped up. “Now way, me too! We live on the thame thtreet! It’th okay, Ja-ke, I’ll take her home.”

And like that, Veronica found herself in passenger seat of an older Jeep, heading home. “ Tho!” He said after turning onto the main road. “Did ya haf a good time?”

Veronica laughed as she bounced a little, nodding. “Yeah it was great! Thanks to you and Jenna, Rich. I really needed that.”

“No need to thank me, but Jenna liketh to know that peopwe are happy,” he said with a smile, glancing between her and the road. Veronica chuckled, bouncing some more. 

“I’ll be sure to tell her, then.”  
—

It was later that night, in one of the motel rooms he cleaned, that something finally kicked in. J.D. let out a shout as his brain seemed to be breaking apart and morphing back together over and over again, a voice explaining that discomfort may occur. Finally, it was over, and across from him, dressed in something dark and uncertain, stood...

“Jack Nicholson?”

“Just how I look, Jason. I am your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor; your Squip. The drugs you stole from the jackass store clerk? They weren’t drugs, and you know that.”

“I don’t think I do. Because this?” He gestured sporadically between then. “This isn’t normal. God, why of all the people in the world did I choose to hallucinate Jack Nicholson?”

“You can change how I look. Other settings include: Patrick Swayze, Brandon Lee, and Madonna.”

“Okay, this is really weird, drugs are bad, and I’m never going to touch them again,” he continued, walking toward the bathroom.

“Look, kid, I know why you’re here.”

“Of course you do, this is all in my head.” He argued, then yelped when a shock went up his back. “What in the-“

“Ya gonna listen, or do I have to shock you again? That pain? It was really, and I made it happen. You didn’t not some drug. I’m a supercomputer made of nano-bugs that is currently living in your brain. All I want to do is fulfill your wishes with one very minor catch; you got a bone to pick with some kids? Me, too. Help me with them, I’ll help you find your school.”

“How do I know any of this is real?” He challenged, and Jack gave him a look. “I’ll be here tomorrow, and every day after. You’ll figure it out.”


	6. Chloe’s Insecurities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter, everyone! No tricks, just a little chapter finally ending a feud I decided to make!

The next week after the little mall excursion was an absolute dream for Veronica, and it was just a matter of time before that fleeting happiness got more complicated. Brooke had invited her over, and she had accepted, completely certain Chloe would be there. The two were almost joined at the hip, there was no way she wasn’t going to be there.

When she got there, Brooke’s mother, an older blonde who was almost identical to her opened the door, smiling sweetly. “Well, hi Veronica, it’s nice to finally have you over. Come in, I’ll get you a drink before you head up to Brooke’s room.”

She followed the woman, seeing a younger blonde, clearly bleached, walking up the steps. “Oh, that’s just Laurel, Brooke’s younger sister, she won’t be here much long. Seems she wants to go to the mall.”

Brooke’s mother got her some lemonade, then showed her to Brooke’s room, where she was quickly greeted by said girl, and, surprise-surprise, there was Chloe, glaring at her from the bed. “Hi!”

“Hi, Brooke, Chloe,” she replied, and Chloe turned her face away, not saying a word to her.

Brooke gave her an apologetic, almost kicked puppy dog face, and she shrugs. There wasn’t anything more she could do. Brooke and Veronica talked for a while, Brooke attempting to draw Chloe into the conversation as well, but she refused to speak, arms crossed petulantly over her chest. It took all of 20 minutes for Brooke to finally get fed up. “Alright, that is it. Veronica, I’m not mad at you, but I want you and Chloe to stay here until she can start acting like her normal self. God!”

Brooke stormed out, leaving the two alone. They sat silently, and Veronica wondered exactly how long it would take. It felt like at least an hour before Chloe let out an aggravated hiss, standing up angrily. “This is all your fault! You shouldn’t have moved here, now even my best friend won’t talk to me!”

“You shouldn’t even be here,” Chloe spat bitterly, eyes a bit watery.

“You’re right,” Veronica agreed, clearly to Chloe’s confusion. “Me being alive right now is a miracle, or more likely a curse, a lesson for me to learn about making sure I want what I wish for.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know what you went through in Sherwood, but you’re wrecking things here. You should just go home!” Chloe had pulled her knees up to her chin, and was on the brink of tears.

“Chloe, I don’t have the slightest clue why you hate me, and I don’t really think you need a reason, but-“

“He won’t look at me,” Chloe said, cutting off Veronica, who normally would have been upset about that, but decided to let it slide.

“What? Who doesn’t look at you? Rich? Jeremy?” Chloe looked severely upset. Wrong, then. “Who, Jake?”

She looked away, pretending not to have heard the name, and her face was pink with embarrassment. So, Jake it was. “Okay, look. I would never date Jake, Chloe. Never. Not even a little bit.”

Chloe glowered, not believing her. “It’s true. At my last school, I almost got date-raped by two of the football players. Not really into sporty guys after. Besides, I’ve learned just how much alcohol messes me up, and I have a feeling he drinks more than I think he does. He’s all yours.”

Then, it was like the floodgates were opened. Chloe bawled, almost tackling Veronica with a hug. “I love him,” she whispered, holding on tightly. “And I don’t think he loves me, too. He keeps going after these super-sluts, like Madilyn, and he looks at every girl that walks by. He couldn’t possibly care about me if he won’t even look at me.”

Veronica gently pulled her closer, holding her tightly. “It’s okay Chloe, you’ll be okay. You should tell him how you feel.”

She pushed him away. “Uh-uh! No! He would never listen to me! He hates commitment, he won’t even stay in a club long enough to be reliable, just stays until they need him, then he leaves! He’s already done that to me, he’ll completely end it with me!”

Her mascara was absolutely covering her face, dropped down her cheeks like the tears they really were. Veronica wiped her cheeks gently, taking a firm hold of her shoulders. “Look, you have two real choices; you can chose not to tell him, and things will stay this painful, this horribly painful torture you’re feeling every time you look at him.”

Chloe sobbed, trying to turn away. “Or,” Veronica said firmly, turning her back. “Or, you tell him. Get this horrible pain off your chest, finally say what you need to. Then, it’s all up to him, and he has to make the decision. Even if he says no, even if he rejects you, it gives you the chance to end this terrible monotony! Don’t you want to do something more with your life than pine over Jake Dillinger? Don’t you want to be something?”

She nodded, wiping her eyes, and Veronica let go of her shoulders. “Well, what do you want to do?”

“B-Brooke and I are gonna open a fashion line together. We’re gonna make the world beautiful. And Brooke wants to start a charity for poor kids, getting them nice clothes and helping get them degrees for design school. We’re gonna do something good,” she said, slowly growing more confident.

“Look, he’s either gonna be there with you, or he won’t. You can’t do this to yourself; trust me, I-I know how easy it is to just do what’s easy in a relationship, but if you never do anything for yourself, you never live. You’d be a Disney princess.”

Chloe laughed shakily, rubbing her cheeks again. “Yeah,” she said, “but at least they look good doing nothing.”

“Come on, girl, way too many guys would cry if you did nothing. You look too good doing something.”

Chloe laughed, deeper and truer this time, and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll talk to him soon.”

“Great. Let’s go find Brooke, and maybe watch a movie? Something with a Happy Ending.”

As she stands up, Chloe grabs Veronica’s arm. “Hey, um, can I...have your number? So that I can talk to you about this, in case I get scared?”

Veronica smiled, gently grabbing her hand. “Only if I can have yours, too.”

Chloe seemed to brighten, and Veronica knew that this had been exactly what both of them needed. Maybe some day, Veronica would start dating again.


	7. Three-Player Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! It’s a mix of plot and fluff.

It had been two full weeks since Veronica moved to New Jersey. Two of the most eventful, yet uneventful weeks of her like. Classes had easily fallen back into the full and manageable category, while outside of classes had become first acceptable, then comfortable, and finally welcoming. She had never thought she would make friends so quickly, or that they would be genuine, and she really never thought that she’s be invited to play video games with Michael and Jeremy, the two most elusive in this new little group she’s found herself in. But here they were, standing across from her hopefully. “I, uh, I guess I can come over to play video games. I’m not very good at them, though,” she said, looking away.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter if you’re good at them or not, it’s just for fun,” Jeremy quickly said, seeming nervous. He wouldn’t really look at her, and he was a little fidgety. Perhaps he was just an extremely shy person, or maybe he had social anxiety.

“Okay, so when should I come over?” She asked, and Michael smiled. 

“Well, we’ll be heading to Jeremy’s right after school, so whenever you want to come over. Do you want to just walk there with us?”

“I’ll have to take a rain check on walking with you, I have a friend that worries all the time, and I’ve got some things to finish at home, so how about I come over around 4?” Veronica didn’t want to tell them she was finishing her homework or taking time to talk to what had to be her going crazy in the form of Heather Chandler; that would just be uncomfortable.

The three talk about nothing for a little while before lunch ends, and they split up for their next classes. Dear, Diary, remind me to stop talking to Heather after school; I don’t think it’s healthy, and I think Mom is starting to get worried.  
—

Jeremy’s house was calm and almost nondescript, something she hadn’t thought it would look like. It was a comfortably forgettable beige colour, and the law was just manicured enough not to stir a fuss from the neighbours. When she knocked she was worried that it might be the wrong house, feeling the odd comfort of her mother sitting in the car behind her until she was certain it was the right house. 

She was surprised when a larger man with a strong beard opened the door, smiling. “You must be Veronica. I’m Mr. Heere, Jeremy’s was, please come in.”

She turned and waved to her mother, who waved back before pulling away. It was just a hint uncomfortable being alone with Jeremy’s dad, but she had plenty of experience in the last few months. “So, Jeremy and Michael seem like they’re really close,” she commented, following him in, noticing pictures of Jeremy and his father with someone she could only assume was Jeremy’s mother. “So, Mr. Heere,” she said carefully. “Are you, uh, are you married?”

“Oh, boy anymore. I had some...Well I had some motivation problems, and my wife left in hopes of solving that. Me and Jeremy been alone for about a year now, and it’s really strengthened our relationship. I am looking, though. For someone new.”

“Oh. Well, I hope you find the right woman,” she said uncomfortably, following him down the stairs.

“Thank you, Veronica. Jeremy, your friend’s here!”

In the basement below, all the lights were out, illuminated by the large television with older school zombies moving across...an office? Well, she was certain one of them would explain. The game was suddenly paused, and the boys turned around, faces thrown in shadow by the backlight of the TV. “Hey, Veronica! How’s it going? Thanks, dad, we’ve got it.”

“Remember, dinner’s in an hour and a half. Veronica, would you like to join us?” Mr. Heere smiled kindly, and Veronica felt stuck. She didn’t know whether she should or-

“Dad, why don’t we let her call her mom and see? You know, she may have plans.”

She sighed in relief, nodding. She had not expected the lifeline from Jeremy, but it was a comfort. “Oh, of course! Just come up and let me know before 5, that’s when I start cooking.”

She thanked him, and watched as he walked up the stairs. “So!” She turned quickly to Michael, who was speaking. “Veronica, here, take my seat, I’ll grab another. Ever played Apocalypse of the Damned?”

“No, I haven’t,” she said, moving more into the center as Jeremy handed her a controller.

“Don’t worry; it isn’t really scary, just a little difficult. So, you move with the stick or D-pad, you jump with A, and you hit with B. To push something, you just move to the side and hold B. Easy. Here, you can try, and we’ll switch off every now and then.”

And so, that’s how it went for about twenty minutes; Veronica passing off with Michael or Jeremy, watching what they did, and then playing again. Finally, she excused herself to call her mother, who agreed that she could eat over there. She went up to tell Mr. Heere, then he gave her the affirmative, and she came back down.

“Hey! Ready to take over killing the undead, woman warrior?” Michael asked with a secret smile, enjoying a joke that she assumed only he understood, and she shook her head. “No, thanks, got enough guts on my shoes already. I’ll just watch.”

“Well, since you don’t have to concentrate, and Jeremy and I are trained monster-killers, why don’t we ask you more about yourself, huh? We don’t really hang out with you a lot.”

“Well, I guess so, but I’m still a little removed from people,” she admitted, watching them play. They really were good.

“So, are you liking West Borough? I here starting school at a new place is really hard.” Michael sounded just a bit concerned, but more curious.

“West Borough is nice enough, and the people are really great. It’s a little weird; I’m really used to people not being nice like this, especially to the new person. It’s easy enough to get into the school work; I’m a bit too advanced, so I had to take most of the AP classes to equal out to my current place at Westerburg.”

“Woahwoahwoah, Wait. So, you’re, like, super smart?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m gonna get into Harvard, Duke or Brown, I just know it. Plus, Heather’s dad has some friends that know the Dean, and he’s offered to write me a letter of recommendation, attaching some of their signatures, so I’m almost guaranteed a place there,” she continued, not noticing the way Jeremy looked at Michael.

“Still, though, I’ve been getting kinda bored after school; I don’t really know much about anything around here, and my mom says I can’t get a job because she wants me to focus on school and being a happy, healthy 17-year-old. I don’t know what to do, though.”

“Well, you know,” Michael started, a slow smile spreading across his face, one Jeremy was also wearing. “You could join the Theatre program, with us. We’re always down a lot of people, and-“

“Woah, okay, let me stop you there. Join the Theatre Program? No offence, but I don’t really want to, plus, I suck at acting,” she said.

“Really? You were pretty good when you were hanging from the ceiling,” Heather said, checking out her nails. She was sitting on the TV set, looking good enough even in her robe, coughing up drain cleaner.

She decided to ignore her, turning to Jeremy, who had started talking. “Don’t worry about that, most of us aren’t very good. I mean, Christine’s great, but-“

“She’s a little over-excited about it, I can tell,” Veronica finished, laughing as Michael and Jeremy let out twin groans as they died.

“Damn! Yeah, she really loves it. But if you don’t like the acting part, you can help out in the back, or even help write the scri-“

“If there’s writing, I’ll look into it,” she said, cutting him off before he could try and talk it up anymore, “but don’t expect me to join. I’m not very good at being cool.”

“What are you talking about, you’re super-cool! Gosh, you’re like Jeremy, you’re cooler than a vintage cassette!” Michael exclaimed, smiling broadly. He seemed to always be smiling.

“...Thanks? Well, speaking of Jeremy, how exactly did you two meet?” She asked, not sure how to respond.

“How we met? Oh, it was a while ago...12 long years. We met in Kindergarten, back when no one wanted to play with us on the playground. I’m pretty sure Jake Dillinger used to kick dirt in our faces or steal our toys. We only had each other, and as school got more cutthroat, we got closer,” Michael explained, and Veronica smiled.

“Like me and Martha. Back then, the hottest guy in school was dating her, even kissed her on the kickball field. Sure, she was overweight, but she was sweet, and people liked her. But it’s easier to turn your back on a friend when they can take the fall for you,” she murmured, glancing over at them.

“Did you two ever...have a bad fight? So bad, it almost ended your friendship?”

 

“Jeremy, look out!” The two shouted between each other as they fought zombies, and the question was almost forgotten. “That’s my best friend, always there for me. Now Veronica, would you say-“

“Oh, uh-uh boys, I’m not that easily distracted. Are you gonna answer the question?” She crossed her arms, giving them a stern look, they sighed as one, looking at each other. “Earlier this fall, our friendship almost ended, all because I was willing to do anything to date Christine.”

Veronica looked between them. “But you’re so close, what happened?”

“Well, I started listening to someone I shouldn’t have to become popular, and it began to work. He told me I shouldn’t hang out with Michael, and so I stopped. I really believed he was right,” Jeremy said, looking more than a hint guilty. 

“Was...was this the same person Rich talked to?” She asked carefully, knowing she was right to when the two tensed. 

“I’m not certain if it was the exact same person, but it was Rich who introduced me, so it’s possible...” he said, trailing off. It was quiet for a while; no zombies, no talking, nothing. Then, relief of relief, Jeremy’s dad called for them to come up for dinner, which they ran to do.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick, I’ll be at the table in a minute,” she says quickly, rushing for the safety of the small room, pulling her cell out and searching for Chloe’s number. If anyone would know and maybe be willing to tell her, it was Chloe.

She began to text her, sitting on the edge of the counter, waiting for a reply. Chloe, do you know the name of the person who helped make Rich popular?

It was a good few minutes later when she finally got a reply. There wasn’t anyone in school who helped make Rich popular, he just sort of became that way. Why do you ask, anyway?

She decided not to reply just yet. Exiting the bathroom, she had one thing on her mind; if someone helped Rich and Jeremy become cool, who are they? And if not, then why did they both say someone helped them? What was going on here? Is this why Heather sent her to New Jersey?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, next chapter gets intense, so hold onto your shipping hats!


	8. Rich Set a Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late; I wanted to get this chapte right. Now, he’s where things start to get a bit more serious. Welcome back to J.D.!

J.D. watched as Chloe sat on her bed, humming something about frozen yogurt to herself. He had spied on every one of his targets; he had watched Rich, Jeremy and Michael earlier that week, had overheard their conversations, had learned from his Squip the best way to get rid of Michael and Rich. For some reason, the Squip required that Jeremy be alive and unharmed, and that Michael be killed in a torturously slow way, but he wouldn’t complain; he was pretty unconcerned overall about killing another person.

He watched as Chloe looked down at her phone, freezing in shock and what had to be fear. She seemed almost paralyzed, shaking a little bit. Then, she picked up the phone, calling Brooke, which was obvious by the opening cry of terror. She was talking so fast and so panicked, He almost didn’t recognize her words. What he could tell is a girl named Veronica( the name causing a flare of agony to seize in his heart) had asked about something. “Whoever this Veronica is, she’s asking about the Squips,” Jack said, ignoring the glare sent his way.

“I don’t think we should worry ourselves with this girl just yet; once we have the main targets out of the way, we can make sure she’s taken care of. Now, Jason, I must again remind you; we don’t need anyone but Michael and Rich our of the way. It’s stupid to waste students that already have Squips in them.”

“No.” J.D. instantly responded, not booking any argument. “Jeremy won’t die, but the rest of these assholes can burn in Hell, for all I care. They’re the reason Veronica left.”

His Squip gives him a disapproving look, but doesn’t say anymore. “If you’re done, let’s get our plan started. Time to gather supplies for our next move.”

As they walked away, J.D. laughed, holding his wound as it ached. He was gonna kill every last one of them.  
—

It was Friday, the last day of school before break, and the excitement in the air was palpable. Veronica was feeling it, and the smile on her face was more genuine than she was used to showing. She wasn’t surprised when Rich game up and smiled, greeting her. He seemed to seek her out every day, and they had been the first two to become friends. What was a surprise was what he asked her. “Hey, Veroni-ka, wanna maybe...go on a date?”

She was flustered, flattered, absolutely complimented, but...she wasn’t really ready for another relationship. “Rich, that’s so absolutely sweet, and I think you’re an amazing guy, but-“

“Yeah, Yeah, you’re not interethted, I guess,” he said, looking a little glum.

“Rich, please don’t interrupt me. What I was saying is, I haven’t dated since my last boyfriend died, and I wasn’t quite ready to move on. I think you’re amazing, but I’m not ready to get serious again, not when I haven’t finished mourning J.D.”

He gave her big, pleading eyes, and she almost groaned. She was so bad at resisting puppy-dog eyes. “Well, how about this. We go out as friends. Not too serious, but we’ll call it a date. Maybe, it’ll help, and maybe, I’ll want to get more serious,” she offered, and he nodded, giving her a small smile.

“No prethure, we don’t have to be thuper theriouth, we can go ath friendth,” he said, gently patting her shoulder.

“Sounds good to me. So, how about we meet at your house at, what time?” She asked, looking at him.

“8,” He said, “we’ll go get thome food, then we can go from there.”

She smiled, turning away. “I’ll see you then.”  
—

Rich ran up to Brooke, who was sitting and talking with Jake. He was almost jumping in excitement. “Guyth, Guyth,” he called, looking between them. “Thhe thaid Yeth to the date! Thhe thaid yeth!”

“Woah, slow down, there,” Jake said, already smiling. Of course, he knew what he was talking about, but he wanted to hear everything.

“Well, I athked Veroni-ka if we could go on a date, and thhe wathn’t Tho thure thhe wanted to, but thhe thought it was okay to try, and Tho we’re goin’ ath friendth,” he explained. “But thhe thaid it might lead to a more theriouth relathionthip!”

Jake smiled, patting him on the back. That’s great, Rich. When are you having that date?”

“Tonight! Thhe’s comin’ over at 8.”

Before Jake could respond, Chloe walked up, looking uncertain, and Brooke perked up, taking over where Jake had been. “Rich! That’s just awesome! What are you guys gonna do?”

“Jake?” Chloe said it quietly, trying not to be too obvious. “Can I talk with you alone for a minute?”

As Rich regaled Brooke with his master plan to romance Veronica, Jake followed Chloe, waving to Rich. “Hey, what’th that about?”

Brooke smiled, leaning in close. “Chloe’s gonna see if Jake’ll go for long-term exclusiveness.”

Rich smiled too, looking after them. “Well, I hope all goeth well for him, too.”  
—

J.D. was far more patient than he seemed, and now was one of the times he really showed the extend of his patience; he was calmly standing in Rich’s closet, waiting for said-boy to enter his room. He could hear Rich’s father moving around on the upper floor, making it impossible for him to safely exit the closet, and he still had to write the suicide note. Fortunately, the entirety of Rich’s family would be gone for almost the whole night, giving him an easy opportunity to kill Rich, then leave everything for the police to find.

Pulling out a penlight, he began to study Rich’s handwriting, searching for patterns and quirks in the writing. He remembered watching Veronica do this, how she always seemed to see every little detail and could recreate it effortlessly. He began to write. He knew what he had to say, and the only chance of it being believable was if he talked about fire. Rich had a thing with fire.

If anyone gets this, I’m sorry for leaving you . I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Ever since Halloween, I can’t forgive myself for hurting Jake. He didn’t deserve to be hurt. I do. I’m a liar and a phoney, and I’m never going to be what you want me to. I can’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.

Tears spotted the paper, dripping down J.D.’s face. It felt like he was preparing his own suicide letter, like her was preparing to go join his mother and Veronica. He let out a muffled little sob, snuffed out almost completely by his wrist, and he leaned back against the wall. Would Veronica be proud of him, or would she hate him? Would she sit in heaven, happy and peaceful, while he burned in Hell? Or would they sit together, drinking Slushees, laughing and cuddling and never dealing with the torment of this world again?

He could hear his Squip talking to him, attempting to convince him to keep writing, but he needed some time. He would continue soon, he just needed a moment...  
—

Rich walked into his house, smiling widely as his father shuffled by, grumbling, and his brother peered around the corner, watching carefully. His brother was staying there for a full year, making sure his dad kept his AA promises, which he seemed to do almost gleefully, making sure he didn’t say anything rude to Rich. Rich loved his brother being back, so it was just bonus for dad to be on his best behaviour.

Rich headed up to his room, ready for his evening of fun and flirting, only to be stopped by a shout from his brother. “Hey, Rich, I need to talk to you!”

Dropping his bag just inside his door, he jogged back down the hall. “Yeah, Damian?”

Damian was standing outside of the living room, watching their father intently. “Dad has another AA meeting, and it’s in Pohatcong. We leave at 6, and won’t be back until 11, you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve got a date tonight, tho I won’t be alone.”

Damian gave his brother a look, one that made Rich laugh. “You do anything in my room, I kill you.”

“Nah, it’th not like that; thhe’th not really lookin’ for a relathionthip, so I’m not gonna do anything to make her uncomfortable,” he said, glancing over to his dad.

“How’th he doing?” 

Damian studied their father, frowning a bit. “He’s struggling, and he almost broke his pledge Tuesday, but I think he’s just dealing with the last of the withdrawal; he should be okay soon, I think.”

The two talked for a bit longer, then Rich hung out in the living room with his dad, who actually smiled at him, something that made Rich hope he was doing better. They watched anything and everything until 6, when Damian and his dad left, leaving him alone for the night. “Well, might ath well get ready,” he murmured to himself, yawning and stretching, heading to his room, he noticed his closet was open, something he hadn’t done, and he headed for the ajar door, peering in. 

From behind, something hit his head, and he dropped like a rock, a single flash of pain filling his senses before he blacked out.  
—

“Finally,” J.D. growled, dropping the bat.

He had been waiting for a total of seven hours. SEVEN. HOURS. He really wanted to just brain the kid to death, make it simple, but that would make his work absolutely useless. He pulled out some rope and grabbed the boy’s arms, holding them together as he began to wrap the coarse rope tightly around his wrists. “Well, Jackie-boy, I guess we’re in the clear,” J.D. said offhandedly, and his Squip appeared in front of him, arms crossed.

“Just tie him up and stick to the plan, and you’ll be in the clear,” he said, disappearing immediately after.

J.D. rolled his eyes, pulling the knot tightly. He had until Rich woke up to set up.  
—

Rich woke a little at a time, the first thing he noticed being the aching of his head, just above his neck. Next, he felt the prickly sensation of his hands being slightly numb, just enough to worry him, along with the uncomfortable chafing of his wrists. Finally, he smelt the intoxicating, brain-killing scent of gasoline, which didn’t make sense, since he could feel carpet against his arm.

He snapped his eyes open, looking around as he tried to struggle, ignoring the ache of his skull in favour of getting away from whoever was responsible for causing it. When his vision finally clears, he first sees the walls of his house, because that was where he was. He was splayed across the floor of his living room, and in what looked almost like black chalk, was the same phrase, repeated over and over again;RICH SET A FIRE AND HE BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE. Wha-?!

“Well, hi there, Rich.”

He snapped his head away from the walls, turning toward the entrance of the room. A man in all black, nothing too distinct, was pacing slowly, seeming to be staring down at his, something difficult to ascertain thanks to...what the Hell was that? The only thing not black and generic-looking was a large metal mask, the type people wore when using a blowtorch. 

He stared, shock and fear warring with confusion and anger. What the Hell was this about?! “You won’t be able to escape, Rich, so don’t try again. Its just fucking pitiful. So, tell me, Mr. Popular, how many people did you step on to get where you are?”

That question made Rich freeze, filling him with dread. What did he do to this guy? Then, a terrifying little voice in his head, sounding suspiciously like his Squip, whispered, how many people did I step over to get here?

“You don’t know, do you? And you really wanted people to like you back then,” the man said, voice rising a bit, something that sounded odd by the mask, which muffled his voice.

“You know, I remember someone I knew who was like you; she was smart, and pretty, and she let you popular assholes,” he spat the words, almost as if they were poisonous, “influence her. She killed herself because of you assholes, and now you’re all going to pay.”

“Look, I didn’t do anything! Why are you doing thith ?!”

The man cackled. “Why? WHY?! Oh, you short, lisping fucktard! Of course you did something! You used people to get what you wanted, then you threw them away!”

The man pulled something out of his pocket, snapping it open. Rich’s blood ran cold, the tears in his eyes falling. The man struck the fire, letting it burn. “You set a fire, Rich. Time to burn.”

The lighter fell in what seemed like slow motion, and finally hit the carpet, catching on the gasoline there, circling around him. He screamed as it got close, leaving his skin scorched as he moved away from the circle’s edge, sobbing. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!!”

The man laughed, spinning around chanting taunts. “Rich set a fire, and he burned the house down! Rich set a fire, and he levelled the town! Rich set a fire and he melted his head, Rich set a fire and he’s totally dead! Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!”

Then, the man was gone, the sound of a door slamming the only proof he had been a real person and not a demon sent to kill him. And Rich? Well, he screamed.  
—

Veronica was almost done getting ready when Heather appeared, face determinedly set. “Grab the fire extinguisher and get your ass to Rich’s house, now.”

Veronica stood still for a moment, confused, then Heather shouted at her, more urgently. “NOW!”

She ran quickly down the stairs, rushing to get the extinguisher from its place in the kitchen, running out the front door before her mother knew what was happening. “Hurry the fuck up!” Heather screamed, almost sounding panicked.

Then, Veronica was at Rich’s house, knocking furiously. No answer. Then, to her horror, she heard a bloodcurdling scream from inside, and she caught sight of fire in the house. “Rich!” She cried, jiggling the handle in an attempt to open the door, but it was locked.

Taking the extinguisher, she slammed it on the handle, once, twice, and a third time, finally breaking the entire handle off and letting the door creak open just a hint before Veronica burst in, already pulling the pin on the extinguisher. She pulled the hose loose, finally seeing Rich; he was on the floor, tied up and surrounded by fire, tears and soot slugged all over her face. “Spray that bitch,” Heather ordered, and she did, holding the trigger as foam shot out, and the fire dropped rapidly, attempting to rise up again as she brought the hose back and forth, slowly but surely covering the fire and Rich, who was coughing and gagging.

It took only a few seconds for the fire to die completely, but it felt like forever for Veronica. When she was sure the fire was completely out, she dropped the extinguisher, rushing to his side, dragging his away from the scorched circle in the carpet. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she whispers over and over again, rushing to the kitchen for a knife and cutting his bonds, then pulling him into a hug, holding him tightly. “I’m here,” she said, and he began to shake, sobbing into her shoulder. 

What the Hell had happened?


	9. Heather Arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for the delay, sometimes life has little soliloquy’s. I have a lot more planned for this story, and I think you’ll like it if the drama of the last chapter captured your hearts.:) On to the story!

Veronica called the police while holding Rich, hugging him tightly. When they learned the situation, they rushed over, and the first to be there was the fire department. No, that was actually wrong; the first there was Veronica’s mother, who was absolutely hysterical when she saw the situation. Thankfully, Rich was almost completely unharmed, besides a large lump on the back of his head and a few light burns, and it seems Veronica had done an amazing job putting out the carpet, because the house was declared safe. Then, the police and ambulance got there, and the two high-schoolers were whisked off to the police station, her mother not far behind.

The two were asked question after question; could they describe the attacker, how did any of it happen, why had Veronica been going over? She easily lied that she had seen the smoke from her house, declaring that was why she had run over with the extinguisher; she didn’t think saying her long-dead frenemy had told her to would fly here, and she really didn’t want to have to deal with such difficult problems.

Finally, a good three and a half hours later, they were released and The two walk out together, both tired, Rich was repeatedly rubbing his head, groaning. “Well, that was quite the date,” Veronica joked, trying to make him feel better. It failed.

Rich’s face crumpled a bit, seeming more miserable. “Thith wath horrible for you. I’m thorry you had to deal with thith,” he apologized, almost on the brink of tears.

Veronica instantly felt like a jackass. “No, it’s okay, I was just...I’m sorry, I was just trying to make things lighter. Things are just so crappy right now, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just glad I made it in time.”

He rubs his eyes, nodding gloomily. “I’m glad, too. You were my only hope; I would have been home alone until 11.”

Finally, as they waited in the parking lot, he grabbed her hand, and she turned to look at him. His eyes were red, and tears threatened to fall. “Veronica?” He says timidly, and she squeezes his hand.

“Yes, Rich?”

“...Thank you, Veronica.”

She smiled, gently placing a hand on his cheek, surprising the younger boy. Then, she kissed his forehead, hugging him tightly. “You can call me Ronnie, Rich.”

Rich hugged her back, shaking with a few powerful sobs before he calmed, pulling away and rubbing his face against his arm, flinching a little at the raw skin on his wrists. “Veronica!”

The two turned, and much to Their surprise, Heather MacNamara was rushing over in all her talk, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, yellow clad glory. “Heather!”

“When I got to your house, your dad told me you were at the police station! What happened?”

She quickly grabbed Veronica’s shoulders, looking her over for any injuries before hugging her close. “Someone tried to hurt Rich here, and I was lucky enough to see the smoke from the fire. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you; I thought I would at least be in a less questionable situation when you got here.”

As Rich watched the two girls interact, he was shocked to realize something; Veronica was completely and utterly relaxed: usually, she would be just a little bit tense, and her eyes would always be searching, almost as if she was constantly looking for someone. without Heather, it was as if she had taken up her world, and only those two existed. He felt almost embarrassed, as if the moments they were sharing were private, something he wasn’t supposed to witness.

Veronica turned to look at him, and his breath was taken. He had always thought she was pretty, but with such a peaceful look, he was certain she was absolutely beautiful. “Oh, Rich! Sorry, where’s my manners. This is Heather MacNamara, my friend. She’s gonna be here for most of the break, and I hope you guys’ll all get to become friends.”

The look Heather gave him was a cross between worried and suspicious. Finally, she seemed to settle on concerned. “Oh, my gosh, you’re wearing only a tee-shirt? Come on, I’ll get you in the car; it’s too cold to be dress like that. Um, Rich? I have a blanket in the back seat of my car, you can get it so that you don’t freeze.”

Rich was then ushered into a car, a nicely done up Trans-am, and next thing he knew, he was wrapped in a Queen-sized blanket, blinking in shock. The girl was so forceful, but so kind it was actually confusing for him; thank her for her help, or insist he could take care of himself? He didn’t seem to have the chance to even think it over, because then they were pulling out, racing through the night. “So, why do you think someone tried to hurt you, Rich?”

“I don’t know,” Rich admitted, scratching his arm under the blanket. “It didn’t make any thenthe; it’s pothhhh-able,” he lisped viciously, unable to get the word out easily. “That I thnubbed the guy, but I don’t remember anything he wath talkin’ about.”

“I don’t know why, but this sounds familiar to me...”Heather said, tapping the wheel with her fingers, contemplating something, and Veronica began to look uncomfortable.

“It sounds like a horror movie,” Veronica said, but it was clear to Rich she wasn’t saying that for anyone’s sake; it was as if she was hiding something. Why?

Heather and Veronica chattered away, mostly about how Westerburg was, about something another Heather said, probably the other one Veronica had mentioned(that was also alive), and something about Martha getting accepted into the Veterinary school she was hoping for. They tried to bring him into some of the conversations, but he simply stated he was a bit tired. In truth, he was thinking about Veronica. Something was off about her; why exactly was she so nervous about his situation, and how did she react so fast? He supposed he could just be paranoid, it wasn’t really that weird for someone to be nervous about her date almost being murdered, but this felt different. 

Still, he would give her the benefit of the doubt; for all he knew, he was just dealing really badly with someone trying to burn him alive. There were so many reasons against his worry, and so little for it. If he wanted to figure out what was really going on, he would need to watch and wait.

“Hey, we’re here,” Veronica said, shaking him from his thoughts. He was surprised; he hadn’t even noticed they had parked. He probably needed some sleep and a little bit of aspirin.

“Thankth for the ride, Heath-Er,” he said tiredly, “it wath nithe to meet you.”

Heather smiled back at him, and he just knew she was an absolutely wonderful person. “Just keep yourself safe, you hear?”

Veronica walked him to his door, one hand around his shoulders in an oddly comforting gesture, leading him to the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow, when you’ve had the chance to get everything sorted out,” she murmured. “We can reschedule our date then, if you still want to.”

Rich was shocked. He was certain she wasn’t interested. He nodded silently, eyes wide, and Veronica gave him a hug, holding him tightly. “I was so scared when I saw you, trapped in the fire,” she whispered. “So, you have to promise to stay safe, okay?”

Her voice was thick with emotion, and he hugged her back. “I promise.”

Then, they parted, and Veronica is rushing off, back to the car, and Rich is stumbling inside. His brother was waiting, checking his head and the entirety of his legs and arms. He finally drew the line when his brother told him to take off his shirt, stating he didn’t need that. After retelling his brush with death to his brother, who hugged him and apologized for not being there, he explained how the police would be setting up a patrol car outside their house, as well as questioning them again tomorrow.

After, his brother sent him up to his room, telling him to get some rest, and he gladly trudged up the stairs, swallowing a few aspirin dry before heading into his room, where he instantly noticed the open closet door and the stark-white note on his completely black comforter. He spent longer than he really should have checking his room over( twice), then he finally opened the note, pure terror filling his stomach. It was a suicide not, in his handwriting.

If anyone gets this, I’m sorry for leaving you . I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Ever since Halloween, I can’t forgive myself for hurting Jake. He didn’t deserve to be hurt. I do. I’m a liar and a phoney, and I’m never going to be what you want me to. I can’t let anyone else get hurt because of me. Dad, I hope you get better, and Damian? You need to make it all the way to Med school. I love you all, goodbye.

Rich

At the very bottom of the page, one last statement sat alone, at it was probably the most terrifying part, because it was the only thing that wasn’t quite true. It scared him that, whoever had written this, actually did feel this way.

P.S. I love you, Veronica

He let out a weak little sob, curling up on his bed before lunging for his phone and dialling Jeremy’s number quickly. When said-boy answered, he almost sobbed into the receiver, trying to get his voice under control. “Jeremy, pleathe, I need you to come over. Thomething, thomething abtholutely terrible hath happened, and I-I don’t wanna be alone!”

“Okay, Michael and I’ll be over in a few minutes. What happened?”

“...” he was silent for a moment, then in a watery voice, he whispered, “thomeone tried to kill me and make it look like a Thuithide.”  
—  
Veronica rushed back to the car. She was getting cold, and she wanted to talk to Heather. She trusted Rich, and his family should make sure he would be okay. Once she was back in the car, buckled up safely with the discarded blanket covering her, Heather pulled away, turning and driving the five houses back to Veronica’s house in silence. Only once she had parked did she finally speak. “Veronica, are you two dating?”

Veronica was a bit surprised, but answered. “Well, not exclusively, but I was gonna go on a date with him...”

Heather was still looking ahead, thinking something or other. “Are you really ready to start dating again?”

Veronica throws the blanket into the backseat, trying not to let her eyes linger where Heather was, afraid she might turn and stare her down. “No,” she said, her voice soft. “No, I’m not ready. I’m not anywhere near ready.”

Then, she opened the door, walking toward the house. She knew where this was going, and she didn’t ever want to have this conversation with anyone. She didn’t want to remember just yet. “Veronica? Veronica!”

Heather followed her, and the two stopped to say hi to Veronica’s mother, who thoroughly checked her over and grilled her about what had happened, if she was hurt, or if the man had seen her. It was a good half-hour later that Heather sat in front of her door, staring her down as she changed. “Veronica, please. You have to tell me what happened to J.D.! I promise, I won’t say anything to anyone, you just have to tell me! I can see how it eats at you; you can’t stand it.”

Veronica sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the tears begin to burn her retinas, blurring her vision. When the first tear fell, Heather was there, hugging her. “I broke up with him,” she said, the tears thickening her voice, and she hugged her friend.

“I broke up with him, and he lost it. He-he lost it! He broke into my room and he was threatening everyone, and I-I...”

“Shh, it’s okay, just tell me what you need to,” Heather cooed, combing her fingers through Veronica’s hair.

“I had to do something, he was threatening me, and so I-I fakes my death. Then, I followed him to the school, and he had a gun! He was gonna hurt everyone! So I-I stopped him, but he-he killed himself. Right in front of me. And it’s my fault.”

Heather held her tightly as she wept, tears soaking through her jacket and shirt. She gently lowered her to the bed as she calmed, having finally fallen asleep, and pulled half of the comforter over her, gently carding her fingers through her hair, not seeing as ghostly fingers mimicked her movements, Heather Chandler pressing a soft kiss to Veronica’s forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, a few pieces of info. The updates will not be daily now, but should still be relatively frequent. Also, the next chapter finishes up the little Chloe side story I have, so it’s pretty much just filler next chapter, but I’ll make sure to get the chapter after our quick.


	10. Happy Couple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this is just filler. The next chapter continues the plot. This is the wrap-up to Chloe and Jake’s brief relationship struggle. I can’t help it; it needed to be closed.

Jake watched as Chloe led him to the back of the school, fidgeting in discomfort. What was this about? He felt a momentary flash of terror. Was she pregnant? Then, he dismissed that; the two hadn’t had that type of sex in a while, so that couldn’t be it. Besides, she had been talking about her period two weeks earlier, so he was almost certain that wasn’t it. But why would she be so nervous?

Finally, she turned to him, and he noticed the tears in her eyes. Was she pregnant? What was wrong? She never looked this scared. “Chlo, what’s wrong? Is everything okay? Are you...” he did not want to finish that question.

She stopped him, though. “No, I’m fine, I’m sorry. It’s nothing wrong, I’m just...worried about how you feel about me.”

“What?” Jake was completely confused now. “What do you mean? You know how I feel about you.”

She took a breath, closing her eyes, and said, “Jake, I love you, and I want us to go exclusive again. I-i want us to be more serious, not just on-and-off. I-I want to see if this will last...for life.”

Jake was wide-eyed, shock clear in every line of his face. Just as Chloe as becoming more uneasy, Jake let out a sharp exhale, blinking repeatedly, a smile slowly brightening his face. “Chloe, I-I didn’t know if you felt the same way, I-didn’t want to ruin what we had.”

Chloe stared at him in confusion, taking a few seconds to comprehend what he said. Wait. Wait! She gasped, hands flying to her mouth, and he laughed smiling brilliantly. “You mean you-we-“

He nodded, and the two kissed, needing to be as close as possible, pressing chest to chest. Finally, they pulled away, breathing deeply, forehead to forehead, smiling. “Wanna come over tonight? Just you and me?”

“Yeah.”  
—

The two were calmly resting side by side, snuggling together. They were satisfied, just being together. Chloe was certain that Jake had fallen asleep, and so when he sat up, she was absolutely flabbergasted. “Jake?”

“Hey,” he said, grabbing her hand, “I have a question for you. What if we, you know...made this permanent? Like, what if we made a promise to...”

She felt tears well up in her eyes. Nodding, she hugged him tightly, and they just held each other, loving being together. Finally, he pulled off his necklace, gently caressing her cheeks with his thumb. “My mom gave this to me when I started high school. She said it was a gift, for me becoming a man. I want you to hold onto this for me.”

It had a small heart, almost disturbingly realistic, and a ring on it, and when she examined it, she read, to my baby. “Jake, I wish I had something to give you, I-“

“No, it’s okay. You just hold onto that. It’s a promise with myself. That I’ll be true.”

She gently kisses his forehead, placing his hand over her heart. “I love you, Jake.”

He hugged her close. “I love you, too.”


	11. Sherlock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe this is a shorter chapter, but it’s setup material. A little bit of bromance, and a few dropped clues for Veronica about this mysterious Squip...  
> ;)

The Slushee splashed against the asphalt, melting from the clear red into a more pink sort of liquid. J.D. was mad. Very mad. He had been waiting for a report to say a house burned down and a boy was killed, at least something, but instead, he had heard nothing. So, in an attempt to be nonchalant and discover if anything was wrong, he picked up a Slushee at the nearby 7-11, and made his way over. He was able to sneak into the backyard, avoiding the very obvious police car parked across from the house, and peeked into Rich’s window. Laying around the room were three people, one he could clearly tell was Rich, considering his strip of red was perfectly highlighted by moonlight coming in through the window.

He promptly left, running almost all the way to the 7-11, throwing the poor Slushee once he felt he was far enough away. “Dammit!” He hissed, kicking the cup.

“Hey, quit throwing your temper tantrum, we can get him after we take out Michael,” His Squip said, Jack looking calm but irritated.

“When will we ever get another opportunity like that? He’s got police outside his house, he’s got people watching him to make sure nothing happens, he’s living in a bubble now!”

“Like I said,” Jack gritted out, “get Michael. We have a plan, just add Rich into it. And for the love of God, stop talking to me out loud!”  
—

Veronica woke slowly, enjoying the warmth of the blanket and the heat of Heather next to her. She knew it was early, and debated on going back to sleep, but she felt something; it was a need to wake up. Why? Then, she remembered; Rich. His attacker. The person Rich and Jeremy had, telling them what to do. Her eyes opened, and she struggles of the sleep, gently slipping out of bed in hopes of not waking Heather.

She laughed a bit when she saw the poof of blonde hair poking out, smoothing some of it down to the best of her abilities before stepping out of the room to make a call. She had to find out more about the mysterious person Jeremy and Rich knew. If Rich somehow snubbed them, and quite possibly Jeremy did too, they could be the one who attacked Rich. More than just that, it could mean Jeremy, or even any of her new-found friends could be in danger. This had to be why Heather had sent her here!

She instantly ruled out calling Jake or Chloe. She had received an excited text from said-girl saying she was going to Jake’s for a date, and that meant the two of them were predisposed. She also ruled out Rich; he’d been through enough, and she was certain he would be tight-lipped. That left the only other person who might know and who’s number she had; Christine. She hadn’t talked much with the girl or gotten to spend much time with her, but she felt like she would be honest.

The phone rang once, twice, and finally caught halfway through the third ring. “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Christine, right?”

The girl on the other side laughed warmly. “Hi, Veronica. Yes, it’s me. What can I help you with?”

Veronica relaxed, slowly leaning back against the wall. “So, I heard that Rich introduced Jeremy to someone who helped them become popular, and no one’s saying anything when I ask. I was just wondering; do you know who that is?”

Christine was silent for a moment, long enough that Veronica was starting to get worried, then she answered. “Veronica, I don’t know how they said it to you, but they didn’t know any person that showed them how to be popular; they learned that from a supercomputer. It was dangerous, and put them both in the hospital. If you ever hear about something called a Squip, stay away from it; it’s not safe, and is like buying drugs.”

And with that, Christine hung up, leaving a speechless Veronica on the line. What? “...A supercomputer?”

Then, she lowered her phone, feeling a sense of ultimate depression. Should she believe it? Was it true, or had these kids done something unspeakable, like her and J.D.? She didn’t know, and she didn’t have the time to ponder it, as her bedroom door was creaking open. “Hey,” she said, smiling sleepily.

“Hey,” Veronica replied, giving her a smile in return. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did.”

The smile Heather gave her was absolutely precious. Dear, Diary, Heather is adorable when she’s just woken up. I’m gonna make sure she ends up with someone perfect.

Then, she started, a little surprised. How long had it been since she last actual wrote in her diary? She thought back, trying to figure it out. The Thursday I went to the mall. That was the last time. Why haven’t I written in two weeks? “Veronica?”

She jumped, surprised when she realized Heather was waving a hand in front of her face. She replayed what had just happened, and her face lit up, scarlet in embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry, Heather, I just...I got distracted.”

Heather giggled into her hand. “So, let’s make some breakfast, I’m starving!”

“Sure! What do you want, pancakes, waffles-“

“Can we make hamburgers?” Heather’s face was curious and comically serious, something that almost made Veronica laugh. 

She quickly smothered her giggle, and instead raised an eyebrow. “What time do you think it is?”

“Well, Ronnie, it’s almost two,” Heather supplied, and Veronica’s eyes widened, making Heather giggle again. “How did we-“

“Sleep so late? Well, I drove here, and it took me a little while to drive down here, and you, missy, had a very stressful night. It’s no wonder we slept so late. I guess your parents decided you could use the rest, too.”

Veronica was miffed. She had never ever slept this late; she was someone who would wake by ten every day, even if she’s only gone to bed at seven. She had found it a blessing and a curse, and she had no idea why she would have slept so late. She didn’t even sleep this late when J.D. passed away, and she’s been at the police station until 3 in the morning, and gotten home by 4. She hadn’t fallen asleep for a while 3 hours, and then had woken up promptly at 10, something that she had seen as a curse in that moment.

She shook herself out of her head quickly, not wanting to think about that night, and sighed. “Well, I don’t know; I can ask my dad.”

As luck would have it, her father was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter reading another spy book. “Veronica, you’re up. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, dad. Thanks,” she replied. “But, uh, Heather and I were wondering...can you make us burgers?”

He gave her a look, then turned his eyes on Heather, who grinned proudly, waving at him. He gave out a mixture of a sigh and a groan, the sound he made when he did what his daughter or wife wanted, but he didn’t. “How do you want them?” He grumbled, heading for the freezer and taking out a bag of ground beef.

The two girls cheered, both excitedly telling him how they liked their burgers, and rushed to the fridge to get burger fixings.  
—

“Hey, Veronica, can I ask you to do something?”

They had just finished their burgers, and Veronica didn’t think there was a better breakfast than that. “Yeah, of course, Heather.”

Heather was a bit embarrassed, staring at her lap while she fidgeted with her fingers. Finally, she mumbled something. “What? Heather, I couldn’t hear you.”

“Can you, um, help me...pick out...a new outfit? To...impress a guy?”

For a millisecond, Veronica was confused, then it clicked. Her face broke into a dazzling grin, one that made Heather hide her face in her hands. “Oh, my God! You met someone!”

Heather nodded, still covering her face.”Okay, we’ll go looking for an outfit, but you gotta spill once we get there.”  
—

Veronica and Heather had barely entered the mall when She had turned to her blonde friend, giving her a firm stare. “Okay, Okay. I met this guy a few weeks ago, like, the week you left. He was really sweet, and I don’t know, maybe...”

“Okay, well, what does he like?”

“That’s Just it! I don’t know what he likes, but I don’t think it’s what I normally wear.”

Veronica stopped herself from saying maybe he would like it if she didn’t wear anything. She didn’t want her easily impressionable friend to actually try that! “Well, let’s go look, okay? Oh! Does lover-boy have a name?”

She smiled bashfully, arms behind her back. “It’s Simon. He’s travelling all the time, but he told me he’s gonna be in town again sometime soon.”

“Well, what are you doing here?! Go get that boy,” she said with a wink, dragging her toward a store, “though it does make me kind of jealous. Think of all the time we could be spending together-“

“Leave. Now.”

She almost ran into Chandler, but hearing her was a shock. She almost asked her what was going on, but instead just gave her a look as she pretended to scan the room. “What, you think I’m fucking kidding? Get your ass home!”

She was confused, and felt an instant panic. How the hell would she explain to Heather they needed to go? Why did they need to go? However, Chandler fixed that problem in one fell swoop, shoving her arm through Veronica, causing her to collapse. “Oh, my gosh, Veronica! We can go shopping later, I’m taking you home, right now!”

As Heather hauled her away, she thought she may have seen Brooke, but she was too dizzy to be certain. Besides, there were a lot of pretty blondes...  
—

Brooke didn’t like going to the mall alone. She felt like everyone was staring at her or judging her. She had just walked into the food court when she saw someone that made her happy she was alone, though. He was tall and had dark hair, and he was wearing all black, something that was oddly attractive to her. She walked carefully by his table, almost touching him, when he suddenly stood, their shoulders bumping, sending her stumbling. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“No, no, it’s okay,” she said, hastily trying to cover up her embarrassment, only for him to grab her arm, and stare intensely into her eyes. “‘There are moments of existence when time and space are more profound, and the awareness of existence are heightened...immensely.’ This, right now, is one of those times, my dear...?”

Brooke legitimately couldn’t remember her own name. That was so unbelievably hot, she didn’t even know why. “Oh, Hell...”

“‘Whether you come from Heaven or Hell, what does it matter, o beauty!’” He replied, glancing down at her lips before slowly letting his fingers slide over her skin, releasing her wrist.

“I’m Jason,” he said, giving a little bow, smiling at her.

“B-Brooke,” she finally said, just looking at him. She had to introduce him to Chloe!


	12. Jeremy Speaks! ...Finally...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Here’s the next chapter, and this and the next are building up characters and relationships, so the next one comes out soon. Hope you enjoy it!

“Hey, you got everything you need?”

Heather was folding the blanket that she kept in her car, stowing it back in the trunk. “Yeah, don’t worry, I didn’t bring much into your house, so it’s okay.”

Heather would be heading out for a few days; she was going to her grandmother’s house in New York for Christmas, and she’s pick up Martha and Duke at the airport on the way back. She had stopped so they could spend a little time together before she headed there, and had stayed an extra night when she found out about the attempted murder and Veronica loosing her balance in the mall.

“Drive safely,” she murmured, kicking a few dead leaves near her feet before hugging her friend tightly. 

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Heather whispered back, pulling away and smiling.

Veronica stepped back onto the sidewalk as Heather started her car, waving to her through the windshield before pulling away. She stood there until the car was completely gone, then she turned and started to head inside. She needed to get ready to go to Jeremy’s house; he had invited her over to playwright him and Michael, and she had decided it would be nice to have some company while Heather was gone.  
—

When Mr. Heere answered this time, she smiled warmly, unwrapping the scarf a bit from her mouth. “Hi, Mr.Heere,” she said, her breathe puffing out in a pale cloud.

He smiled back, stepping to the side for her. “Well, if it isn’t Veronica! Jeremy’s downstairs. Go ahead, make yourself at home!”

She thanked him, making her way down. At the bottom, Jeremy was playing...Pac-Man. From what she could gather, he was getting pretty far, and doing an amazing job. His score was unbelievable. She walked up behind him, just a little humoured that he hadn’t noticed her, and decided not to bother him. When he finally completed the level, he let out a shout, pumping his fist in the air. “Yes! Yeah! That’s what I’m-OH, MY GOD!”

He had turned around, saw her looming over him, and let out a girlish shriek, scrambling back toward the television. “I-sorry, I didn’t want to both you, you were just so amazing! How did you do that?”

Jeremy looked thoroughly embarrassed, moving back to where he was as she sat on the floor next to him. “I-uh. I practice a lot. Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“No, it’s okay. It’s my fault, really. So, you and Michael must really like video games, huh? Is that one of the reasons you guys became friends?”

“No, actually. My mom really hated video games, so I didn’t get into it until I got a little older; when my parents used to fight, or, I guess, when my mom used to yell at my dad, I would go over to Michael’s place, and he would play with me, and I got really into it then. it really helped me through their divorce.”

“Wow,” she whispered, “he sounds like a really great friend.”

“He is. But, today, he’s being an awesome son; his mom sprained her ankle, and his dad is busy, so he took her to the ER,” he said, giving her a wry smile.

“Oh, that’s too bad...For his mom, I mean! The ER is horrible to deal with,” she said, suddenly feeling self conscious.

“Yeah, it, uh. It is,” Jeremy replied, turning back to his game. “Do you, you know, wanna play?” He asked, a bit uncertainly.

“Oh, no, no, that’s okay, I’m not very good at games,” she said, and the two attempted to make awkward chitchat, talking about the weather and finals and how Christine was doing.

They awkwardly sat across from each other, and Jeremy was getting pretty far again, when Veronica finally asked him what she wanted to know. “Jeremy, who or what is a Squip?”

He frozen, and accidentally almost ran into a ghost, veering to the side, staying silent for a few moments before he paused the game. “How did you hear that word?”

“Well, I was asking Christine if she knew who you and Rich both had talked to, to become popular,” she said, giving him a little bit of a look. “She told me it wasn’t actually a person, but a...a computer.”

He sighed, putting the controller to the side. “It was the worst mistake of my life, that’s what it was,” he murmured, moving away from the light of the television.

“Talk to me, Jeremy,” Veronica said, standing and walking toward him, reaching out to touch his shoulder only to pull away at the last moment. “Just talk to me. I can help you.”

“Why are you so interested in the Squip?” He questioned accusingly, turning to give her a paranoid glare.

She sighed, taking a step back. “I don’t care about the Squip at this moment. What I care about is what happened to you.”

He studied her shrewdly, finally turning to her, motioning for her to come sit against the wall. “It started about two or three months ago, when I decided I wanted to not live another two years completely and utterly crawling through my high school life, and I wanted more than anything to date Christine. And, one day after school, my bully at the time, Rich if you can believe it, told me about this unbelievable thing; he told me about a supercomputer that you drank with Mountain Dew, and you would get a voice in your head that would tell you how to be cool.”

“Well, I didn’t know if I believed it, but he told me where to go and how much money to bring, and so I tried it. At first, I thought I’d been gypped, but then it started working! This guy who looked like Keanu Reeves appeared, and he told me he would help me.”

He stopped, looking pitiful in that moment. “I was in a really bad place. I-I was so desperate, I didn’t care what he told me to do or say, even-“

“Even abandoning your best friend,” she finished softly, gently placing her hand on his arm.

He turned to look at her, and she could see his eyes were shiny with tears. “Yeah, I, uh, I was horrible,” he said, voice thick and watery.

“I would have destroyed the world, I was so desperate,” he said, and a tear finally slid down his cheek.

“Now, don’t say that,” Veronica said, shaking her head. “You didn’t, do that means you weren’t willing to.”

“No; I would have done it, and no one would’ve been able to stop me; it was Christine that snapped me out of it.”

“Christine? What did Christine do?” 

Now, Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck, very embarrassed. “Well, I offered her one. She asked me why she needed one, and I realized; just because everyone goes through something doesn’t mean you need someone holding your hand through it, and so I tried to stop the plan that had spiralled out of control. I...”

He trailed off, turning away. His shoulders shook, and he looked absolutely devastated, hunched in on himself. “I almost destroyed the entire school.”

She wrapped and arm around him, leaning softly against him. “It’s no one’s fault,” she murmured, rubbing his shoulder. “You made a mistake, and you tried to fix it. That’s what’s important. You can’t let this guilt eat you up inside; you’re a good person,” she said, barely speaking above a whisper. The words were just for him.

He felt the sobs rock him harder, and the two sat there for a while, just hugging.   
—

“Come back anytime, Veronica!”

Mr.Heere and Jeremy waved at him from the porch as she hurried out to the car, stopping when she heard Jeremy call out to her. She turned, standing outside her door, and saw him rushing to her. Before she could say anything, he caught her in a hug, pulling her close. “Thanks. You know, for everything.”

He pulled away, looking down. “Hey, is that new?”

“Hm? Oh, no, it’s my mom’s car; mine is in Ohio, and I decided to leave it there for now. I’ll probably go back for it at Spring Break or something.”

“Well, drive safe,” he smiled and rushed out of the cold, only the slight mist of his breath lingering. As she settled herself into the driver’s seat, starting the car and warming up the engine to get warm air, she saw something beautiful; small little snowflakes were falling to the ground, disappearing and leaving wet marks. She didn’t thing she’d see something so beautiful in New Jersey. With a smile, she pulled out, heading home.


	13. Better chug that Mountain Dew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s part 2 of the build-up chapters. I promise, all the chapters after this get really intense.;) Hope you enjoy!

Veronica had found a safe place in 7-11’s. She walked the small aisles, knowing full well what she was getting. She searched one aisle until finally she found it; corn nuts, for Heather. Then, she headed over to the Slushee machine, a deep ache in her chest making breathing a little hard. She stood in front of the machine, just feeling the alternating heat and cold that emanated from it. Then, she grabbed a cup, firmly placing the lid on and holding it under the Blue-Raspberry flavour.

She laughed a little, remembering the stupidity of Kurt and Ram when they were drunk, and how they begged her to make their balls not blue. She felt her eyes burn, and blinked it away, pushing away the pain and guilt. She didn’t have time for this, she had to figure out whether or not Rich’s attacker was a Squiped person, or just someone he hurt. She’d have to find out more about these Squips, maybe find the dealer and talk to him. She didn’t need one; honestly, having three people she helped murder in her head was enough. Pulling the cup away, she stuck a straw in, heading toward the front of the store as the bell to the door rang.

“Oh, my-Veronica?”

For a split second, she expected it to be J.D., but pushed away the terrified hope. No, it wouldn’t be J.D., and it wasn’t. It was none other than Jeremy and Michael, both smiling warmly, and it was actually Jeremy who pulled Michael forward to greet her. “Hey! How’ve you been??”

She smiled, patting his head, he was taller than her, but not by much. She felt it was appropriate. He gave her a sheepish little grin, and she answered him. “I’m good, how are you two? Oh, Michael! How’s You’re Mom? Jeremy told me what happened.”

Michael smiled, raising an eyebrow at Jeremy. “She’s okay, but she’s gotta stay off it for a little while. My Dad’s taking her for another check-up out of town tomorrow, but it looks like she doesn’t have any serious damage.”

“That’s good,” Veronica said with a smile, following them to the back, where they pulled some Monsters out. 

“Oh, got, that stuff’s gross,” she said, making a face, and the two were absolutely shocked.

“No, it’s amazing!”

“It tastes like adrenaline mixed with bull piss,” she said, giving the van a distasteful look.

“Oh, yeah, like your drink is absolutely fabulous! Come on, a Slushee in this weather? You’ll be a popsicle before and snowflakes touch you!” Michael seemed pretty passionate about it.

“Yeah, I don’t usually get Slushee’s, I just- Well,” she trailed off, not knowing what to say that wouldn’t make this awkward.

“My Ex used to get these all the time, said they helped him fight pain. I was just feeling, ya know...nostalgic, I guess.”

The two boy’s faces instantly dropped, and they looked embarrassed. Great, she still managed to make them feel uncomfortable. Then, to her surprise and pride, Jeremy spoke up. “How...how did you two meet?”

She almost laughed. “He was the new kid in school, and I was making some bad choices. He quoted Baudelaire, I thought it was attractive.”

She furrowed her brows, letting the ache come. Sometimes, it was okay to just let the hurt happen. “Well, I made a big mistake, and next thing I knew, three of my friends had committed suicide and he was talking about how everyone who had ever hurt or used others needed to be punished. He was losing it, so I knew what I had to do; I broke up with him,” she said, feeling her eyes burn.

“I got into the relationship for all the wrong reasons; even if things had gone better, it was destined to fail,” she finished, blinking the pain away. She had done everything she could.

“Veronica, I’m so sorry,” Jeremy looked devastated, something that surprised her, and Michael looked almost on the brink of tears. “I’m sure it must be really hard for you.”

Then, it hit her. They thought he had committed suicide because they broke up. She felt a hysterical little giggle trap in her throat, trying to escape. Oh, God, they thought she and he were victims! She moved back a little, not sure how exactly to feel. “Don’t be sorry; things always work out in the end, and I’m certain he’s not suffering anymore; I lost a lot of people, but crying for them won’t bring them back our give them a second chance. I have to live the second chance they left behind for them.”

Then, to her shock, she was enveloped in two very warm sets of arms, hugged tightly by the two boys. Michael was shaking just a little, and she knew he must be crying. Why was this effecting him so deeply? Jeremy wasn’t shaking, and instead said, “Veronica, I can’t believe how strong you are. I hope I’m someone like you.”

She almost panicked, wanting to tell them, no! Don’t be like me! Please! Don’t ever be like ME! She calmed herself, instead hugging them back. “Don’t be like me; be like you. You have more than enough strength.”

They parted soon after, Michael wiping his face and cleaning his glasses while Jeremy patted his back. Then, his face lit up a little, and he rushed off, coming back in after a few seconds. In his hand was Mountain Dew Red. Veronica was confused. Wasn’t it Code Red? “Veronica, I know it’s weird, but can you hold onto this? I don’t think you should drink it right now, but maybe just keep it with you,” Jeremy said mysteriously, and she glanced uncertainly between it and him.

“Uh, why?”

She glanced over at Michael, and he was watching Jeremy thoughtfully, nodding after a few moments. “It’s only for emergency situations. I know it seems stupid, but I feel like, I don’t know, you’ll be the best person to hold onto this.”

She hesitantly to it, slipping it into her bag. “O-kay, I’ll trust you, but will you explain why at some point?”

The two shared a smile, heading over to the register, Veronica following behind them. “Maybe we will, maybe we won’t.”

They paid for their purchases, something Jeremy declared his responsibility, and the two left, waving goodbye to her. She waved back, turning to the cashier, who refused to look in her eyes as he rang her up. Finally, when he handed her the bag, he looked up. “You got a Squip or something?”

She was stunned by the question. “What? You know about Squips?”

“Not if you don’t,” he countered, looking away and moving around sporadically.

She wasn’t having any of that. “I know what Squips are, I just heard that no one talks about them or knows about them or has much information on them.”

He turned back to her, giving her a once over before narrowing his eyes. “Not usually. And since the last supply was mostly stolen, I don’t trust anyone. I’m not saying anything about it.”

Then, he gave her another once over, slowly smiling. “At least, not without a little...compensation...”

He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t exactly pleasant to look at. Still, she did not whore herself out. “Really? Does that ever work? Or were you just trying to get me to give up?”

He sighed, leaning against the wall. “...It’s usually a scare-tactic,” he grumbled, freckled cheeks a light pink. “I don’t really want that; I think getting my rent is a better form of payment. Doesn’t mean I like people making fun of me.”

“Well, I’m not looking to buy, but this has to do with someone who may be using the Squip to kill people. I don’t know much about Squips, but can they help someone get away with murder?”

The man’s face sank, and he looked pale. “I-I don’t know, I don’t have one, but I know it can put people in mental hospitals. They can’t deal with a little voice constantly telling them what to do! I-I don’t think it would for most of the people that come to us, but...someone just stolen almost half of the last shipment. It’s possible it’s being sold as a drug, or even that the thief knew what it was! Oh, this is terrible!”

“Okay, look,” Veronica cut in, leaning on the counter. “If someone wanted to buy one, where would they do it? If I know, maybe I can talk to the dealer, find out who was around on the day it went missing.”

The man looked scared, and his jaw shook for a few moments. “Play, but if you go there, I didn’t tell you, got it? You heard from someone else.”

Veronica nodded. “Promise.”  
—

It was in a Payless. How stupid do you have to be to sell something like Squips from a Payless?! She sighed, heading home, shivering a bit as snowflake gently landed on her face, the cold wind cutting through her skin down to her bones. Sitting in her car, she sighed, starting it for heat. “Heather, did you know about all of this? Is this why I’m here?”

She turned, and there Heather was in the passenger seat, Kurt and Ram joking in the back seat. 

Heather checked her nails, hacking up some drain cleaner, which disappeared. “God, this fucking sucks. Look, Ronnie, the Squip’s only half your problem. You got a murderer on your hands, and he’s killed people before. If you want to catch him, you need to keep a close eye on your ‘friends’,” she said with air quotes, “and get your ass in gear.”

Before the three ghosts disappeared, Heather added two little rules. “By the way, don’t drink Mountain Dew. It’s already nasty, so just keep an eye on your drinks. And stay away from little grey tic-tacs, or just stay the fuck away from tic-tacs altogether. I mean, that’s what gum is for!”

Then, the three were gone, leaving Veronica wondering where she should go from there.


	14. Michael in the Bathroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my friends, welcome to the new installation. Now, this is where things start getting intense.
> 
> WARNING: not for the faint of heart or those easily effected by Verbal Abuse.

I’m sorry, sweetie, but we’ll be a little while,” Michael’s mother said over the phone, assuring him they would be home that night.

It was two days to Christmas, and Michael’s parents had to go out of town for his father’s job, leaving him home alone. Well, Jeremy was busy, and he was home alone, so...might as well get stoned in his basement. He had been having a great break so far, and had even gotten to hang out with Nicole, only it was hard to relate to her sometimes. It had to do with the damn Squip thing, and he knew it wasn’t fair to her, but it was something pushing them apart.

Still, he was gonna work through that with her; they were gonna try really hard, and they would be happy. Maybe if he could invite her to do more things other his friends? Or maybe if he had a double date with Jeremy and Christine! Who snickered at the idea of him and Nicole both making fun of poor Jeremy. He had it bad for Christine, that was for sure. Michael put on his headphones, cranking the volume up loud. Marley really was the best. 

As he bobbed his head to the music, he missed the creaking of floorboards behind him, didn’t turn to see the terrifying shadow of someone not supposed to be there. Then, as he headed down to the basement, he felt a sharp pain in his skull, tripping and falling, tumbling to the bottom of the stairs. The only thing he had really seen was something dully reflecting light into his eyes, and he heard the sound of his glasses crunching, and then he blacked out.  
—

J.D. laughed as the boy lay in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. It was clear to him that the boy had only really hit his head, but it was bleeding enough to worry him. If someone found out that Michael hadn’t commit suicide and had been murdered, it may ruin his plans, and may even connect to Rich’s case. He had already messed up once, he wasn’t doing it again. He wrapped the boy’s head in a towel, trying to stem some of the bleeding. Once he was sure it was secure, he hauled him up the stairs, toward the bathroom.  
—

Michael groaned, trying to wake up his head was throbbing, as was the rest of his body, and he was pretty sure someone had attacked him. He tried to open his eyes, but he immediately was hit with a dizzy spell, closing them again. He could feel something cool and just a bit slick beneath him, and he felt something sticky against his body. It was as if...

Slowly, taking deep breathes, he tugged at his arms, then his legs. He heard the almost painful squeal of what he was pretty certain was tape as it shifted, but it held firm. He pulled harder. Nothing. Then, he stopped, listening. What the Hell was-

“I don’t know why, but someone tried to kill me!”

He stiffened, body filling up with dread. No. No, that couldn’t be it! His heart began to pound, and he forced himself to take deep breaths. He needed to calm down. Then, he cracked one eye open. The world was still quite fuzzy, but it had stopped spinning, and settled into something semi-recognizable; he was staring up at the ceiling of his bathroom, and he was in his tub. He could just make out the fuzzy edges. He moved his head around, attempting the free his shoulders, but all he accomplished was getting a crick in his neck. 

He looked around, searching with his eyes fearfully. His mouth wasn’t taped shut, and the thought to scream for help arose, but he squashed it down. Someone had attacked him, and he knew better than to call the big, scary guy back to him. He had to try and escape before the person- he was assuming it was a man- realized he was awake. Then, he heard something. 

He turned his head slowly, eyes only slightly open. What he saw made him want to scream all over again. It was a man in a heavy metal mask, the type people used while using blowtorches or smelting things. He was wearing all black, and he was holding a scarily large knife in one hand, the other had a...a Big Gulp? It was blurry and unbelievable, but he was pretty sure it was a Big Gulp. He saw him raise the mask just a hint, sipping up some bright yellow drink, and Michael had a sneaking suspicion he knew what it was.

They sat in silence, Michael just watching him, and he assumed the man was staring back. “Well, here I was, hoping you’d start screaming.”

“Nah, man, I-I like horror movies too much,” he replied, earning a chuckle from the masked man, who put down both the knife and drink.

“Well, what do you think I’m gonna do to you, Michael?”

The man looked down over him, and he realized how scary it was for someone in a mask to stand over someone. It could be anyone. “Crap, I don’t know. Do you want me to play a game with you, or is this revenge for what I did to the Squip?”

The man nodded slowly. “How about both? I don’t really have anything against you, you know. Still, you need to be punished. Jackie-boy really seems to hate you, and I think it’s enough. Besides,” he paused. “You remind me of someone I know too well. I don’t like it.”

“What, am I like the best friend you gave up? That’s what happened to me because of the Squip. You know, I have to wonder why you wanted the Squip. Popularity? Revenge?”

The man shrugged. “It was an accident, really. I was trying to see if it was a drug that I could use on others, and when it didn’t work on my target, I decided to use it as a breath mint. Turns out I should really cut back on Mountain Dew.”

Michael groaned, letting his head fall back against the tub. Really? That was it? “Well, we can’t all have glamorous reasons.”

He tries to tug at his hands again, and he knew it was futile. Still, he didn’t want to die not trying. “Give up already, Michael. Haven’t you realized you can’t get out alone? It doesn’t really matter, anyway; if Jeremy came here, you’d just be handing me the key to everything. Once I have him, I have everything. But it doesn’t really matter anymore; this is it for you. Oh, Mom and dad are gonna wonder where they went wrong, ya know? Their poor little Mikey drowning himself in the bathtub when they don’t get home soon enough. What do you think will happen, huh? Do you think it’ll destroy their relationship? Maybe one of them’ll kill themselves, too. Just because they can’t take it anymore.”

Michael felt sick. “How can you say that? My parents haven’t done anything!”

The man looked over him, lowering himself down until he was hovering over him. “Oh, do you really think I want them to die? No, they’re pretty nice. I’m pretty certain everything will be fine, but I want to watch you squirm a bit. The worm on the hook. Once you’re gone, there’ll be nothing keeping me from getting to Jeremy.”

“Why-“

The man cut him off. “You know, I gotta ask; how exactly did you piss off a supercomputer?”

Michael stayed silent; he couldn’t really say which part was the real problem, but he was pretty certain the man already knew, and was just taunting him. The man sighed, picking up the stopper and clogging the drain. “I’m sorry it has to end this way for you. You know, in any other situation, we could have been friends.”  
—

Veronica was in the middle of writing in her diary when Heather suddenly appeared, looking absolutely frantic, something Heather never looked. “Get to Michael’s house.”

Veronica filled with dread. Not Michael-

She jumped up, ready to grab a fire extinguisher and get there. “No, idiot, just get bundled up and go! Get your scarf, hide your face, and make sure you remember how CPR works.”

Veronica felt a bit sick. CPR? Was he drowning? She nodded, going over the procedure in her head as she pulled on her coat and shoes, he scarf quickly following. Tilt the head back, lift the chin. Check for breathing. If you can’t hear their breathing, begin CPR. First, 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 compressions per minute. Veronica ran out the door, down the steps, and searched for the keys. Then, give two rescue breaths. Continue the steps until paramedics arrive, or the person has been revived. 

She almost screamed. The keys were missing. She ran to the window, hoping she was wrong. The car was gone, and she couldn’t hear any life in her house. Her parents had taken both of the cars. “Well, don’t just stand there; run! I’ll direct you!”

Heather was behind her, even more frantic than she had been in her room. “Head to Jeremy’s house, and then, I’ll tell you from there.”

She didn’t even hesitate to run out into the snow, slipping a bit before catching on the salted sidewalk, thankful beyond all power that it was something the city paid for in that moment. She had to go two miles, and she had no idea if she would be able to save him. She had no idea if anyone would be able to.  
—

Michael blinked away the tears. “Stop it with the cliches,” he muttered.

The man shrugged, slowly starting the water. Michael could feel it slowly soaking his jacket, saturating it and chilling his skin. He let out a sob, shutting his eyes in a final attempt to make the nightmare go away. “You know, I can tell your scared, but a good way to deal with that is to freeze your brain. A little bit of a Slushee can do wonders.”

Michael scoffed, tears freely rolling down his face. “Yeah, that’s why you have a Big Gulp.”

The man went completely still and silent, staring at the wall across from him instead on Michael, who could feel the water pooling in his hair and around his ears, tickling the sensitive skin there. “She loves Big Gulps. It was the first think she ever asked for. Instead, I gave her a Slushee. And-“

(Veronica was gasping for air. She was sweating profusely, bundled up and running through snow. She had to get there, she couldn’t stop.)

He cut off abruptly, grabbing the mask, almost as if his head hurt. “No more about her. I know a lot about you, Michael. You’re the social outcast that embraced his fate, holding his friend down and secretly thinking yourself oh-so much better than the popular people. You really just used that to make yourself feel better though, didn’t you?”

“Stop it,” Michael said, struggling again. He had to get out of this! Maybe the water-

(Veronica tripped, slamming her forehead against the sidewalk, and her hands were scraped, as were her knees. She almost screamed as the salt caught in the wounds, burning coldly.)

“Oh, that’s right, Michael! You HATED yourself, didn’t you?! You would have done the same as Jeremy did to yourself if you could. But you thought so highly of Jeremy; you loved him, didn’t you?”

“Stop, It!”

(Veronica jumped back to her feet, continuing to run as she wiped away tears. She could cry later, when she washed the wounds. She had to get to Michael.)

Michael was thrashing, the water almost blocking out what the man was saying, but he knew letting the water get higher was worse. “Oh, did Michael smell have a crush on his best friend? His straight best friend who would never look at him? Huh? Is that it? You loved him, and he didn’t love YOU!”

“STOP IT!!!”

(She could see Jeremy’s house. She wobbled on her feet, slipping but catching herself, not slowing down as Heather egged her on, pointing her in the direction of a house a street half a block from Jeremy’s house.)

Michael didn’t want to hear this. He had given up a long time ago, and had decided to support Jeremy. He had given up on ever having a relationship with him, but it didn’t dull his feelings. He tried to keep his head up, drawing in panicked breaths of air as the water began to cover his body, causing him to stretch the tape a bit more. Maybe he could-

(As she turned down the street, she began to repeat the CPR procedure again, gasping, trying to keep her vision clear and he body moving forward.)

“Michael, the Loner, who’s a stoner, he drives a P.T. Cruiser, God, what a loser,” the man laughed, grabbing the Big Gulp and the knife, sipping at it from under his mask as he watched Michael struggle. Just before his ears were covered by water, he heard the last thing.

(30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 per minute, then two rescue breaths)

“Michael in the bathroom, dead and gone.”  
—

Michael was struggling badly. He had fought pretty hard, and it looked like he might escape, but then the lack of oxygen got to him, and he started to weaken. He had been watching closely enough that he saw the exact moment Michael attempted to breath in, only filling his lungs with water. The water was overflowing at that point, dripping down onto the floor. He decided now was as good a time as any, avoiding the water and heading for the back door. Michael was already going limp, and no one knew what he had done yet. 

He stepped out the back door, looking at the Big Gulp. He pondered finishing it, then threw it against the fence, enjoying the splash of toxic yellowy-green. Then, he jumped the fence, running through bushes and hiding in the shadows, avoiding any sounds.  
—

When Veronica finally made it to Michael’s house, she was banged up, bruised, and her forehead was bleeding just a little, something she found out when she’d gone to wipe away sweat and instead had her hand smeared with half-dried blood. There was only a little, but she knew she looked bad. She tried the door, carefully opening it and peering in. “He’s gone, just get to the upstairs bathroom, now!”

Heather’s screamed order made her jump, but she hurried to do as she was told, hoping beyond all hope that he was okay. She scrambled up the steps, the doors open behind her. She rushed up the steps, pulling off her coat and scarf directly outside the bathroom, worried when she saw water soaking into the carpet. She pushed the door open, and screamed, seeing Michael at the bottom of the tub.

“STOP IT AND SAVE HIM, BITCH!”

Heather snapped her out of her fear, again, and she rushed over, turning off the water and pulling out the plug, attempting to bring him to the surface. She attempted to pull his head above what, but he was stuck to the bottom of the tub with what looked like duct tape. She pulled at it, successfully ripping it away from his shoulders as the water slowly, almost torturously slowly, drained. She was able to bring his head to the surface, and she brought his mouth to her ear, attempting to hear for a sound.

There was the sound of the water draining, the sound of her gasps, and a horribly wrong wet sound in the very back of his throat, just barely comprehensible over the roar of the water. She pulled at more and more of the tape, ripping it off more and more as she tried to elevate his chest more than his head in hopes he might choke and cough the water up himself. No such luck. Finally, the water was low enough for her to set him back down, and she tilted his head back slightly, lifting his chin.

She placed her fingers over his pulse point, feeling nothing, and she became even more scared. His lips were starting to go blue, and he was deathly pale. She properly placed one hand over the other, and, taking a steadying breath, began to make deep chest compressions, moving quickly and listening for anything. Then, she pinched his nose, breathing deeply into his mouth, watching his chest rise and fall uselessly, repeating the action.

She listened for a pulse, breath. Nothing. She kept going.  
—

Jeremy slowly pushed open Michael’s door, doubt and fear filling him. “Michael?” He called out hesitantly, not sure what he should do.

He could hear someone upstairs, and water in the walls, surging through pipes and rushing away. The bathroom upstairs. He slowly walked up the stairs, and as he got closer to the bathroom, he heard grunts of exertion. What was going on. “Come on, Michael, wake up for me, wake up! Please...”

The last word was weak and teary, and Jeremy was surprised to recognize the voice. It was Veronica. He knew she had been running , and apparently it was here, but why-?

He finally reached the top of the stairs. He saw the water soaking the carpet, the coat and scarf. Then, he saw Veronica, a large bruise on her forehead and scrapes on her knees, bending over his best friend, over Michael, slamming down into his chest. Michael wasn’t moving, was pale and wet, and Jeremy felt numb when he realized Veronica was preforming CPR. His best friend was dying. He slowly stepped forward, and Veronica whipped around, face tear-streaked. “Veronica, what-“

“Jeremy, call 911,” she sobbed, pressing hard on his chest, bending further forward as the sobs began to rock her body.

For a second, he didn’t move, then he was almost flying down the stairs, reaching for the home phone. He dialled, sobbing into the receiver. “911, What is you’re emergency?”

“Please help, my friend’s not breathing. He’s-“

“Okay, sir, tell me your address, I’ll send an ambulance over.”

He sputtered out the address, sobbing into the phone, and the operator tried to comfort him, asking who was with his friend. “O-our friend Veronica is giving him CPR, she-she found him, I think. Please, just-just hurry.”

He looked up as the operator reassured him they were on their way. PLEASE, Veronica. Save him.  
—

Her arms were sore and aching, her whole body was trembling, and she felt more and more certain she was doing nothing to help him. “Don’t you fucking dare give up, Veronica Sawyer, don’t you fucking dare,” Heather said, and she could feel her behind her. It was like a safety blanket around her. As she gave a particularly hard compression, she felt something jolt back, and he coughed, water spurting over his lips. She quickly turned him on his side, and watched as water drained out of his mouth and down the drain, and she sobbed in relief, leaning against the edge of the tub for a moment. “It’s okay, Michael,” she said, pulling off the last of the tape, it’s okay, you’re gonna be okay. Jeremy’s getting help.”

Michael sobbed, hugging her tightly, almost pulling her into the tub. She could hear sirens, and simply held him back, her hands moving over him in search of warm flesh. He was still cold, but she could feel some warmth returning as he shivered weakly into her. She heard the EMTs as they entered the house, heard Jeremy as he led them up, sobbing. But the world was beginning to waver. She was pulled away as the EMTs began checking over Michael, and she knew one of the was talking to her, trying to examine her. In that moment, though, the world collapsed, and she passed out, the world going black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, let me know how you liked it. Also, all this information on CPR is actually from the Red Cross website, along with the Mayo clinic website. I will say that I didn’t make every detail spot on, but this is the procedure for CPR. If you don’t have formal training, remember; you are not authorized to perform the rescue breathing portion of this. I just assume Veronica has that type of training, just cuz.:)


	15. Most Wonderful Time of the Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! I know I’ve been gone for a long time( for me, at least), but life definitely got busy. A lot of work along with family things and school all led to this being pushed back a bit. Also, I’ve been trying to make the chapters a bit longer, which means more time being put into them. I hope you enjoy, and I will explain more at the end!

Dear Diary, it is official, concussions suck.

It had been three days. Three days since Veronica had woken up in a hospital bed, her mother crying and looking her over, and a doctor told her she had a concussion and some minor scratches, and that she would be fine. She had been told to take it easy, and had been sent home, but not without a long, painfully scary interview with the police, asking how she knew to run to Michael’s house, even though she had no idea what was going on.

She wished she could escape that little process. She had saved him, after all, and had gotten pretty badly hurt on the way there. Still, she just dealt with it, gritting her teeth. She always felt pressure around cops; it was like they saw every bad thing anyone ever did, and it was terrifying. Not to mention having what appeared to be a heavily drunk Kurt and Ram whooping around the room was not helping, and it got to the point where the doctors banished them from her room, stating she needed rest.

She left the next morning, and her mother brought her to see Michael, something she was relieved and scared about all at the same time. When she arrived, he had looked far better than when she had last seen him, a given being that he almost had hypothermia and water in his lungs, but that was just semantics. He looked up, and he smiled. It was more than his usual grin, more than just the cheerful upturn of his lips. No, this was genuine, fond, and a bit watery as his eyes grew wet. “Veronica,” he said, and she slowly approached him, the two pulling each other into a tight hug, and he sobbed into her shoulder.

“You saved my life,” he finally sobbed out, and it felt as if every moment he hugged her, he was taking a little bit of her into him. She didn’t know why, but it was like she was suddenly in a different ring of friendship; of trust.

“Michael, I wouldn’t let you die,” she said softly, for his ears only. 

“You...I don’t know how you knew, but you were there when I needed you. I won’t ever forget what you’ve done,” he said, finally pulling back, his eyes oddly serious.

She felt it was a bit odd, but she smiled. “Michael, you don’t owe me anything. No one has the right to stand by and do nothing when they know they are needed. I-I watched a lot of people die because I did nothing, but I know just how important it is to take a stand.”

Michael gave her an odd look, and he studied her. “You know, you’re like the opposite of the guy who attacked me,” he said, though he sounded contemplative, as if he was seeing things in her no one else could.

“What do you mean?”

Veronica didn’t know how to feel about the comment, but she could hope for the best. “He was...crazy. Broken. Like, he was seriously broken. I don’t know if anything could fix him. And he kept talking about this girl that died...”

He seemed to connect something; something that made his eyes go wide, made his whole expression change. He looked almost...scared. “Michael, what’s wrong? Does something hurt? Michael?!”

Veronica was starting to panic. Was he okay? Should she get a doctor? As she started to stand, Michael grabbed her hand, holding her in place. “Wait! Wait,” he shouted, repeating it quieter to calm her and him down. “Veronica, this is going to hurt you a lot, but I need to know. How did your ex-boyfriend die?”

Veronica was suddenly very uncomfortable, and was dreading the idea of telling the truth or lying. “I-I can’t-“

Michael grabbed her arms tightly. “Look, Veronica, it’s okay. I won’t say anything, I won’t go gossip about him. Just-Please. I need to know.”

She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know whether she should ever tell anyone about this, about J.D. then, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder, and Heather softly whispered, “Veronica. Tell him part of the truth. Don’t tell him why yet. We can’t trust him with every juicy detail, but you can tell him how he died.”

She didn’t want to do either! Still...

She took in a deep breath, rubbing the shoulder Heather was touching, feeling the ghostly tickle of her presence, centring herself. “O-okay,” she whispered. “But please, understand, it’s hard to talk about.”

Michael nodded, rubbing her arm encouragingly. She took a handful of deep breaths, the air rushing in and out her lungs in a comforting and calming way. She closed her eyes, taking some smaller, quicker breathes as she prepared to say the words she dreaded. “Michael, he...he blew himself up.”

Michael looked shocked, his face going ashen, and she curled just a little into herself. “...What?”

“He-the, the detectives are pretty sure he was di-“ she gulped, feeling her stomach flip, and feeling the tears try to drip out and down her cheeks. They succeeded. “Disintegrated. And, um, he-he was badly shot in the chest when-when he-...well, he, um, he had no chance of survival, they think, but they know from the amount of blood around that he-he would have been dead. Before he could get anywhere, even if he hadn’t-“

She turned away, not able to continue. It was odd how time could manage to make the pain worse before it dulled it. She sobbed silently into her hand, trying not to make a sound. She felt sick. Across from her, Michael looked lost. He had tears in his eyes, but they hadn’t spilled over. “...Why?” He asked, blinking away the tears.

She looked at him, eyes sad, and he realized why. Oh. Oh, God. Oh, it was so much worse suddenly. “Veronica, did he try to blow up the schoo-“

She covered his mouth, looking around fearfully. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, it can’t get out. If it gets out, if I get connected to that, I won’t have a future. I won’t have anything! Please!”

Michael nodded. He looked sorrowful, but she didn’t know why. She had then said goodbye, unable to even begin to deal with the conversation, and went home. She didn’t leave for the next two days, her mother strictly watching her, barely letting her out of sight. The worst moment was telling Heather what happened.

“Oh, my God! Veronica, are you sure you’ll be okay? I can take you back to Sherwood, my family doctor is a genius! He can look at you, and-“

“Heather, I’ll be fine. They told me it wasn’t too serious, but that I need to be gentle with myself, that’s all,” she cut her off, softly almost cooing the information. She didn’t want to spook Heather anymore than she already had. 

Heather was silent for a few moments, then she asked something in a quiet voice. “Veronica, how did you know? That Michael needed you?”

She had been worried for this question. She really didn’t want to lie to Heather, and she was too drained to make something up. “Heather, do you ever thing that maybe you’re going insane? Because of what Happened to Heather and Kurt and Ram?”

She wanted to take the words back the moment she said them. Heather would definitely say she was. “...Sometimes, I feel like I can hear them,” Heather confessed, sounding small and hesitant. 

“Really?” Veronica said, her voice going up at the end, hopeful.

“Yeah. I-I thought maybe I was losing it. Do-do you hear them sometimes?”

She was silent for a little bit. How should she answer? Yes, I can see them, hear them, and they look just like they did when she and J.D. murdered them? No, she couldn’t say that. “I hear them everyday. I don’t think they ever really leave me; sometimes, I forget for a moment, and everything is okay, then I remember, and it’s like they’ve been screaming in my ear, trying to get my attention. I-I think I’m losing my mind.”

Heather made a comforting sound. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you ever say anything? You should have told someone! I would have helped, Martha would have helped-“

“You can’t help me!” She shouted snapping in terror. Finally saying something had left her scared, skittish, guilty. Guilty.

Oh, God. She had just-  
—

In the end, she hung up, not wanting to deal with what she had just done. She had yelled at her friend; her closest friend. She knew she had hurt her; Heather was so sensitive, she couldn’t help but be hurt by almost everything anyone said. Veronica sobbed into her pillow. She didn’t deserve to have a good Christmas. So, that night, she slept fitfully, having nightmares featuring bombs and bodies. She woke up at 3:56 the next morning, and didn’t go back to sleep. She sat up, writing into her diary, pausing whenever she felt tears rise in her eyes, blurring her words.

Her Christmas was bittersweet; she felt safe and loved, watching It’s A Wonderful Life. She couldn’t seem to connect with the character in the same way anymore; she wondered if she would actually find a reason to be important enough to have ever existed in the first place. She was pretty certain she wasn’t really saving anyone; she was certain she had ended four lives far too early, and was certain that she should never have met J.D. 

She suddenly realized how low that thought was. She had never really been suicidal, even when she had fake-hung herself, but now...This was BAD. She had to do something before this got serious. So, that night, when Heather arrived again, she knew what she had to do.  
—

Veronica watched as Heather entered, silently opening the door. It was well after midnight, and she looked tired. When her eyes finally found Veronica and locked with hers, she felt worse than she had ever felt before. Heather’s face was trembling ever so slightly in hurt, and she went to open her mouth, about to say something, only for the door to be pushed open quickly, and standing there was the only person Veronica still couldn’t really stand; Heather Duke, in all her Chinese glory, had her hands on her hips, lip curled in distaste. “God, what a dump,” she said, making sure to be just loud enough for Veronica to hear.

Behind Duke, Martha smiled, waving softly. “Hiya, Veronica,” she said, making her way forward, and she hesitantly smiled back, leading the three to her room. Duke complained, took her bed next to Heather, who stared at her, and she pulled out her air mattress, blowing it up for her and Martha. The two talked for roughly an hour; the two Heathers had gone to sleep, and Martha seemed to have missed her, something she didn’t realize she had also felt. “So, how’s school going? Have you seen any new movies? Maybe with...a boy?”

Veronica laughed, leaning against her friend. “No, I haven’t seen any new movies, but I do have a friend who...may or may not be interested in a date with me.”

Martha smiled, rubbing her back. “Do you really want to, Veronica? I know it’s nice to get attention, but are you happy about that?”

She felt her smile falter just a little. “Martha, I don’t know if I’m ready for anything, but he doesn’t push for me to date, he’s really understanding. He asked me, and wasn’t too upset when I told him I wasn’t all that ready. He offered to take me out as a friend.”

She had felt a bit shy as she ended it, almost feeling self-conscious. Martha giggled at her, hugging her tight. “Well, he sounds nice, but remember; if he’s really your friend, he won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”

She nodded, hugging her back. She had ached to spend time with her childhood friend, leaning against her, and the two talked about books and movies. Martha asked about her friends and how school was going, if she’d gotten word back from Harvard or Brown, and talked about how she had been accepted into a physical therapy school. 

She smiled; It seems Martha had lost some weight; while she still wasn’t thin, or even a medium curvy, she was looking healthier, and shyly talked about how proud she was of herself and how hard she had worked. It had made Veronica feel happy for her, and the two fell asleep giggling over movie quotes.  
—

So, that was how she passed three days of torture, and rekindled her relationship with Martha, even just a little. The next day, she had been invited to a movie marathon at Jeremy’s house, something she had been excited for. Her mother, not so much. “Veronica, I want you home no later than 11, understand? You’re still injured, and you need to take things slow. Martha, Heather...and Heather, I expect you to keep an eye on her. Concussions are horribly dangerous.”

“I know, Mom, but if I’m okay after today’s check-up, it’ll all be fine,” she said calmly, but her heart was sinking just a bit. She wasn’t really sure why, but she felt something might be wrong with her, and then...

She shook the thought away. She needed to talk to Heather, and soon. She couldn’t leave her outburst unapologized and unaccounted for; she had to fix what she had severely messed up in on sentence. So, when Duke decided to go watch movies in her room, and Martha followed, she called Heather over. “Hey,” she said, barely above a whisper. “Can, um- can we talk? Please?”

Heather seemed shocked, and surprisingly relieved. She nodded, and grabbed Veronica’s hand hesitantly, leading her into the garage. The two parted, Heather letting go and turning to her, looking as if she wanted to say something, but kept her mouth closed. Veronica’s mouth was a bit dry, but she didn’t let that stop her. “Heather, I-I’m so sorry,” she said, and was surprised when she felt her eyes burn and her throat tighten. Then, the tears and words both flowed out, and nothing could have stopped it.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you, I was just, I had to watch Michael dying, and he asked about J.D., and I-I think something’s wrong with me!”

She was curled toward her chest, arms crossed over her chest, and she was shaking. She was so weak, a strong wind would have blown her away in that moment. But, instead of being a storm of anger, Heather held onto her hands, making her look up at her, seeing tears in the blonde’s eyes. “Veronica, I was never angry. I was so upset that I made you mad, I felt like-Veronica, I so, so sorry; I should have known; I should have known you were hurting. I’m sorry.”

Heather held her tightly, with a strength the thin girl didn’t look to have. She held onto her arm, realizing that Heather was taller than her. And she didn’t the only thing she really could; she cried her eyes out into Heather’s arm, and Heather just her, being a silent comfort. She couldn’t even begin to believe she had such amazing friends.  
—

Heather was holding her hand as she walked into the hospital, soothing her nervousness. She didn’t understand; she could literally bring someone back to life, run three miles in snow, and get a concussion in less than 30 minutes, but then she couldn’t go for a regular checkup alone? It was like she was falling apart. She sighed, squeezing Heather’s hand once before letting go. She strode forward, leading the Heathers and Martha to her doctor’s office in the Pediatrician department. It was almost funny, being mere months from adulthood and still sitting in this place, surrounded by little kids and bead mazes.

She checked in, and only minutes later, she was standing, hearing her name. “Good luck,” Martha whispered, waving, and Heather smiled, giving her a thumbs up. Duke simply watched the window, viciously chewing her gum.

When she finally made it to her room, she sat on the examination table, the paper crinkling, and a nurse with a kind smile checked her over, asking her how she was feeling, prodding her bruise gently to see if any deeper damage became clear. When she was done examining her, she left, and Veronica sat fearfully kicking her feet.

It was roughly five minutes later that the doctor arrived. “Hello, Ms.Sawyer,” she said, entering in her white lab coat. She looked like some evil scientist. “How are you doing today? Have a good Christmas?”

Veronica nodded mutely, and the doctor studied her. “It says you’re healing well physically, but that you seem to have some...”emotional damage”?”

The doctor looked up from her diagnosis, looking to her for clarification. “Um, I don’t know exactly how to describe it, just...the day Michael almost drowned, I was fine, but...I think the concussion may have done some damage to me; I’m always depressed, I snap at my friends, I-I can’t think of a reason for people to care if I died. But I know this isn’t normal. What is it? Do I need to figure out how to live with it? Take medication? Surgery?!”

The doctor smiled, seeming to be holding back some laughter. “Veronica, you don’t need any of that all you need is-“

“Something do get my mind off it?!”

She gently rubbed her arm, shaking her head. “No, sweetie, you need a therapist. I think you’re finally dealing with all this stuff that happens at your last school, and I think it was triggered by seeing Michael suffocate. You have some damage, yes, but not because of the fall. I’ll pull up some names, and see if I know someone that specializes in Post Traumatic Stress...”

Veronica stepped out, feeling confused and a bit numb. A therapist? Why didn’t she think of it? Why was she so certain she needed such extreme or blasé techniques? She walked over to her friends, Martha and Heather smiling, and Duke quickly led them out practically jumping into the shotgun seat. Heather ushered her into the seat behind her, and Martha sat next to her. When she finally seemed to regain her voice, Heather was already pulling out, looking both ways as she prepared to pull out of the parking lot. “She said I need a therapist.”

Martha tightly squeezed her arm, giving her a supportive smile. “You know-“

Duke cut her off, snidely remarking, “Well, finally someone says it. It’s not like you took any after everyone died. You just dealt, and it was absolutely horrible. God! You made me so mad, how you were moving around!”

Veronica almost snapped at her when she finally comprehended the words. Was Duke...worried about her? “Besides, you always got in my way whenever you just stumbled around, and you would talk to yourself. What a freak!”

No. No, Duke was a selfish bitch, and she couldn’t care less. “So, Veronica, are we going over to Jeremy’s house to watch movies, or should I take you home?”

Heather gave her an apologetic smile in the mirror, and she decided against saying anything. It wasn’t worth it. “I think I’ll be okay, but Mom wants us home by 11.”

And so, that was how she found herself at Jeremy’s house, Martha on one side and the Heather’s on the other, introducing them to everyone else. “This is Heather Duke, Heather MacNamara, and Martha Dunnstock. Everyone, the guys. The guys, everyone.”

Michael was unbelievably friendly, hugging on her just a little, stepping away soon after to join Jeremy on the couch, the two snuggled up close. It was absolutely adorable. “Come on, guys, let’s find seats.”

She chose to sit next to Rich, who also smiled largely, leaning over to whisper, “Jutht let me know when you want to rethquedule,” winking and smiling at her.

To her right, she felt Heather tug on her hand. She turned to the blonde, and said-girl gave her a slightly nervous smile. “I-I’ve been meaning to give this back to you. It doesn’t feel right for me to have it.”

Then, she slipped something made of cloth onto her wrist. Veronica stared at it, shocked. It was Heather’s scrunchy. The bright red hadn’t faded even a little, and it felt almost like having a crown; it added some important weight to her presence. “Heather, I-“

She shushed her as the movie started, and held her hand. It was A Christmas Carol. She almost laughed; God, she felt like she knew exactly what Scrooge felt; seeing the ghosts of his long-dead friend telling him how to not end up where they were, and having to reevaluate his entire life to survive. Then, she saw Duke quietly stand up, slowly heading upstairs. She was a bit confused; the movie had just started, was she bored, or did she have to go to the bathroom?

Forty minutes later, she was starting to get worried. What if something had happened to her? She untangled herself from the two beside her, and started up the stairs, ready to look for Duke. “Veronica!”

She looked up, seeing Michael at the top of the stairs. “Where you going? I just finished making the snacks!”

She smiled. He was a genuinely sweet person, and she thought it was amazing how well he was dealing with what happened, especially compared to her. “I’m looking for Heather. Duke. The one with dark hair?”

Michael’s face scrunched up as he thought. “I haven’t seen her up here,” he murmured.

So, without question, the two began to look for her. She wasn’t anywhere in the house; they had checked every room twice, including the basement, and Veronica had just begun to feel panicked when she saw movement outside. She turned, focusing on it, and instantly felt relief mingle with anger. She ran to the back door, pulled it open, and there was Heather Duke, just a hint woozy-looking, half a bottle of Vodka sitting beside her. Veronica was absolutely certain that she had been the one to drain the first half, and was furious with the drunk girl. “Heather, what are you doing?!”

Duke sneered at her, standing shakily and flipping her off. “Go fuck a dog,” she said, voice slurring, and she almost fell before catching herself.

“Heather, you’re-“

“No, you are! God, why don’t you just leave me alone, bitch?! It’s your fault that my friends are dead!”

She stumbled, falling into Veronica and clawing at her wrist. “Gimme it back,” she mumbled, attempting to take the Scrunchy off of her, and only succeeding in scratching up Veronica’s wrist. Michael pulled the drunken girl away, almost tossing her into her seat, and Veronica just stood there. Frozen.

It’s your fault.

The words echoed over and over again in her mind, and she felt her eyes burn, but she simply blinked it away. “Veronica, are you-“

“Michael, can you tell Heather and Martha I decided to go home early? I think I want to take a walk,” she said, her voice sounding far too calm for the wreck she currently was on the inside.

He looked about to say something, but simply nodded when she looked at him. He quickly ran inside, and she followed, grabbing her coat and scarf, pulling her shoes on in the soaking entryway. She could see Michael leading Rich to the back, and quickly stepped out the front, walking toward her home, every now and then kicking up icy snow chunks. They didn’t turn into fluffy flakes bursting in every direction, they instead sailed forward, crumbling as iced over concrete collided with the packed snow.

She wasn’t feeling horrible or sick, just...numb. It was like she was shutting down. She hadn’t left because it hurt, but more because she felt she didn’t belong there. It was like no one was really suffering through anything, and she could not deal. She didn’t want to bring them down. For now, she would just enjoy the quiet of the late winter night.  
—

Heather had noticed when Duke left, and then when Veronica left, but had tried to chalk it up to her just being paranoid. When Michael called Rich away, she started to worry a little, but everything seemed like it would be okay. Five minutes later, she was proven wrong. “Heather, Martha,”Michael whispered, and Heather immediately knew this had something to do with her friends.

“Where’s Veronica and Heather?” She asked quietly, and he motioned for her to follow.

Once Martha and Heather were upstairs, he led them to the couch there, and Heather was passed out, slumped on the dark sofa. Martha and Heather rushed over, worried, and Martha voiced what she was thinking. “Where’s Veronica?! Is she okay? What happened?!”

Michael shushed them, and Jeremy entered, seeming confused. “Hey, what’s-oh, God, is she okay?”

He sounded alarmed, and Michael shushed him as well, glancing behind his best friend. “Good, it’s just you. Veronica came up looking for Heather here, and we found her out back with this.”

He held up the Vodka, and Heather groaned, glaring at the passed out girl. “This idiot. Where did Veronica go?”

“That’s the thing. Veronica? She left. Heather said something about it being Veronica’s fault that...that all her friends were dead, then tried to take a scrunchy of her arm. It was kinda weird, too. Has Veronica always had a red scrunchy?”

Martha looked over at Heather, who flushed, looking at the ground. “You gave it back? No wonder Heather is like this.”

“Okay, what’s this all about?” Jeremy said, looking between the two conscious girls.

They exchanged a look he recognized as a negative agreement, and shook their heads almost at once. “Sorry, we don’t really know you, and it’s all pretty personal.”

“Look, we’re gonna take Heather home and see if we can find Veronica on the way. Thanks for the party, it’s really nice. Can you help us get her out to the car?” Heather stood firmly, Martha by her side, and everyone knew there was more to this than just a drunk friend.

Rich volunteered to carry Duke out, and the two said goodbye shortly, pulling away. As they did, they didn’t see the dark shadow on the wall, the grin stretching across the shadowy face, and definitely didn’t see the toxic green soda he poured into the punch. And, at that moment, not even Jeremy noticed the shout of triumph from a little voice on the back of his head, a voice that knew very well how to manipulate the boy.

In that moment, the entire game changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I want to make a point about what happened with Veronica. She has PTSD, a very serious mental illness. I know it seems like her entire personality changed, but remember; PTSD does not usually have immediate effects, and is known for manifesting in sudden, sporadic outbursts. So, look out for moody Veronica. Also, just a point. If you think you have any mental illnesses, talk to a therapist; they will help you.


	16. Something’s Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back from my long disappearance.:) I finally finished my class, and over the last few weeks, things just got really busy. I’m almost done with this, and I hope you love the end.

Michael couldn’t stand it. For the last three days, Jeremy hadn’t been able to call him, hang out, and he hadn’t even answered a single text. Michael was trying not to feel hurt, but it was starting to remind him of-

Michael shook his head a bit, trying to rid himself of that possibility. Still...He thought back to the night of the party. He had been restricted to only water by doctors and his mother, and no more than five cups a day until they were certain he didn’t have any lasting effects, such as water intoxication, though he thought that was a bit overkill. Still, he complied, not wanting to even guess what he could accidentally do to his body.

Anyway, that night, after Veronica had left, stumbling once before disappearing into the snowy night, he had been drinking his water when he noticed something that didn’t feel quite right. He had watched Rich walk over and take a swig of punch from his cup. Then, he had sat down, almost mechanically, putting his cup down before his eyes snapped closed and his whole body went limp. It had particularly shocked Michael. He had only been sitting for a few seconds when he had passed out, something that led him to believe it may not have been just a random accident. 

He decided he would watch him, just to make sure he was okay. After all, Michael wasn’t the only one who had almost been murdered. He didn’t know whether this was natural our not, but he hoped it was, especially with who he believed might be the culprit of Rich’s and his own attacks. He had been watching Rich so closely, he hadn’t noticed when the others started slowly passing out around him. Finally, he went to go get some pretzels, something he had been snacking on throughout the night, and he almost tripped. He glanced back, shocked when he saw Brooke sprawled across the ground, head tucked against the bottom of the couch. 

He felt something akin to fear start to crawl up his stomach, but he squashed it down. Brooke had been excitedly talking to anyone who asked her about this cute guy she’d met, some college age guy, and how he’d been flirting with her and even asked her out, which she had emphatically said yes to. Had it been a month earlier, Michael wouldn’t be as concerned; sure, people get tired all the time. But after knowing the girl, spending time with her and seeing her at different times of day and night alike, he knew she would never fall asleep at someone else’s house until after three.

He went to shake her when he registered that almost everyone else in the room was asleep. He was surprised, a bit worried even, and he could feel the paranoia of him not being alone creep in. “Jeremy, what time is it?” He asked, looking around. 

Jeremy mirrored his action, startled when he noticed everyone else was asleep. Well, damn, was it really that late? A glance at his watch told him otherwise. “It isn’t even midnight,” he said, glancing up at Michael, who was still attempting to shake Brooke.

It took a minute, but she started awake, bumping into Chloe and Jake, who also jumped, shifting and yawning. “Oh! Wha-? Sorry, I guess I was...” she yawned widely, cutting off her words. “Really tired.”

As everyone began to shift and wake up, Michael relaxed, but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong. “I think it’s time we went home,” Jake said, groaning as he rubbed at his neck.

“Are you guys feeling okay?” Michael asked, pretending not to be suspicious at all, though he felt like it didn’t really matter; the Squip knew everything.

Jake smiled, not at all tense or uncomfortable. “Yeah, we’re fine. I’m gonna call my mom, okay?”

Jake had gone off to call his mother, and everyone had started getting ready to go. By midnight, everyone was gone or ready to go, and Michael stayed behind to help Jeremy clean up. “Hey, Jeremy. I-I know this sounds crazy, but I think I know who may have tried to kill me and Rich.”

Jeremy stiffened. “What do you mean? Did you see their face? Were they someone you knew?!”

“Shhh! Calm down!” Michael shushed him, motioning him to come closer. “Do you remember when we saw Veronica in the 7-11? How she said her ex had a thing for Slushees? Well, the guy actually said he liked Slushees, and was talking about a girl he loved.”

Jeremy was silent for a minute. “Yeah, but Veronica’s ex commit suicide, didn’t he? I don’t know, Michael, it’s a little too vague...”

“Well, how about this; the guy had a Big Gulp, and I’m pretty sure Veronica loves Big Gulps. Not only that, but he tried to kill me and Rich by making it look like a suicide! I’m a little worried because of the suicides at Veronica’s last school,” Michael countered. “Jeremy, just trust me on this; Veronica’s ex is the attacker. She didn’t actually see him die, and they never recovered a body. There’s just too much wrong with this.”

Jeremy didn’t look truly convinced, but he nodded. “Okay, I’ll trust you, but just know how completely unbelievable it is. Okay, so he’s the guy trying to kill you and Rich. Why? And what do we do about this?”

At that, Michael seemed to deflate a little. “I don’t really know why, or what we should do, but! But we at least have something to go off of. Jeremy, I think he may have a Squip.”

Jeremy paled, looking completely sick to his stomach. “Michael, I don’t like this. Why is he after you and Rich? What does-“

Jeremy’s face lit up with sudden dread. “Oh.”

Oh. This guy, whoever he was, was after people that had gotten in the Squip’s way, and one of the biggest threats was...him. He almost wanted to vomit. If any of this was true, he was in danger; serious danger. He looked up at Michael, who had a grave look on his face. “So, what can we do to stop him from killing us?”

Michael search his face, then sighed. “He doesn’t want to get caught, and I think it has something to do with him wanting to continue killing. If we can stay with someone, we should be okay. Just be careful about walking into rooms without checking; you never know what could happen.”

The two quietly cleaned up the rest of the mess, and Jeremy brought the punch up slowly, plastic wrap over the top of it. “Michael, what are we supposed to do about these Squips? We tried to stop them, and it worked, but now there might be more? I barely made it last time. Now, it’s a crazy murderer. What if-“

He stopped, looking at Michael with a grimace. “What if one of us dies?”

Michael shook his head. He didn’t want to think about anyone dying, that was certainly not something he wanted to ever imagine. Still, he had to do something to keep that fate away. “We’re gonna make sure that doesn’t happen, now that we know something’s wrong.”

And in that moment, Jeremy smiled, and Michael was happy to be his friend. Even if it meant he never-

“Let’s take out this new level, player 2,” he said with a smile, and Jeremy grabbed his hand. They were never not going to be a team.  
—

It wasn’t long after that moment that Michael had to leave, and from that moment on, Jeremy had practically disappeared. He was no where to be found; he wasn’t answering calls or texts, his dad always said he was out of the house when he came by, and he and the others almost didn’t seem to remember Michael.

In all actuality, it was painful and a bit jarring; he had felt so close to them, had been there with them, and now it was like he didn’t even exist. He didn’t understand why this was happening again. Could it be that somehow, Jeremy had been Squiped? Was he playing this game alone? He didn’t know, but he didn’t like it.

At the same time, Jeremy was locked in his room, huddled in a ball, trying to breathe deeply. Oh, God, it couldn’t be true. He had been denying it for the last three days, but he couldn’t anymore. He could see Michael, he felt like he didn’t have full control of his body, and he was lost in his insecurities, something he had learned to control a bit more. It was almost as if it had been dragged back out and forced back onto him. “Jeremy, you know that isn’t true. You never lost this; I only helped you realize it was still there.”

And, of course, the real nail in the coffin. Across the room, lounging calmly on his bed with soft lines of blue glowing faintly under his holographic skin, sat the Squip. His Squip. He still looked exactly the way he had before, and the looks he sometimes shot him brought up all kinds of old, self-loathing feelings that he had buried down. Looks that said he wasn’t with a thing, that the only way he would be would be if he stayed with the Squip. The only thing that seemed to be different was the Squip himself; he seemed to watch Jeremy a lot more often, and didn’t call him names or useless. He seemed to be content just making Jeremy’s stomach twist and blocking Michael out.

Jeremy stared down the supercomputer, who stared back, bored and seemingly unaffected. It was clear he was very serious about staying the dominant voice in Jeremy’s head, though, and he didn’t know how to stop him. Jeremy knew how this had all happened; it was the night of the party, and Michael had just left to head home. He had decided to have some punch before he went to bed, taking a swing from one of the red solo cups he had put out, and something instantly felt wrong. He was tired, and he had a bit of a headache, but something made him feel like he needed to go upstairs and lay down immediately. So, he climbed the stairs, stripped down to his boxers, and laid down. He was out before his head hit the pillow. 

The next morning, he had felt absolutely fine, but had found some odd tension in his stomach. He had felt it for the next two days, confused and uncertain, then out of nowhere, his dad told him Michael had been looking for him. He hadn’t even noticed that Michael was gone, nonetheless that he had been looking for him. It was when he tried to call him that he felt the all too familiar shock. He spun around, an there as the Squip, arm crossed as he stared down the boy.

At that, Jeremy had promptly fainted, though he would never admit that out loud, and had woken the next morning with the Squip staring down at him. He had spent the day holed up in his room, ignoring his father’s knocks and curled up in a corner, where he currently was. It may seem childish, but it just wasn’t fair! He had moved past this part of his life! He had been happy! “Jeremy, I can make you happy,” the Squip said, moving a bit closer in an almost careful way. It was kinda freaking Jeremy out.

“What? I’m sorry, did you just say you could make me happy? After what you DID TO ME?! You tried to take over the world!”

Jeremy had raised his head, slamming his hands down on either side of him. It was only moments later, when hands slammed on either side of him and the face of the Squip leaned in uncomfortably close, did he realize how vulnerable he was to the Squip, in every sense. Now that he knew what the Squip could do, he almost felt like panicking. God, it reminded him of that book series where the kids met an alien, and he gave them the power to transform. He felt like one of the bad guys- they were people controlled by brain slugs from outer space. It was a weird concept, but a good analogy for how he currently felt.

“Jeremy, my job is to do what you need of me. Be your chill pill? Sure, whatever. Get you a date? Perfect. Take over the world to make you happy? I will do it without a second thought.”


	17. The Pitiful Children, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look at this! Another chapter so soon? Maybe I’m getting back into normal updating habits.;) 
> 
> Now, I must add a slight warning; none of the things in this chapter are smart or safe. If you’re depressed, talk to someone. It may be hard, but doing anything to hurt yourself only hurts the people around you.

After that little revelation, Jeremy called Veronica. Seems she wasn’t really a threat for the Squip, as he seemed able to talk to her. When she arrived, she seemed tired, and her eyes were a bit bloodshot. He wondered why. “Hey, Veronica. Can I...talk to you?”

She watched him for a moment, nodding. He quietly led her to the basement, sinking into one of the beanbag chairs against the wall. She sat down next to him, silent, waiting for him to speak. “...Are you okay?”

She looked over at him, almost as if searching for something. “I haven’t been sleeping well the last few nights. I’ve been having nightmares,” she said, and paused, waiting for him to speak.

“Oh? W-what were they about?”

“Jeremy,” she said, and his head drooped. “I’m sorry, it’s just-I don’t know how to start on this. It was easier last time, ya know? I didn’t have to say all the feelings and-stuff,” he said, almost stumbling over his words.

“Start from the beginning, then,” she said gently, reaching a hand out. She stopped before it touched him, slowly pulling it away and letting it drop.

He took a few deep breaths, looking at the wall across from him, trying to calm his frantic heart. Then, he began. “I was never really popular, ya know? I was a loser, and everyone knew it. Even me. And I hated it. I hated it more than anything on the planet. I didn’t want to be a loser, I wanted to be liked! I wanted to have more than one friend, wanted to be something! And I-I hated myself. I let it eat me alive. So, when Rich told me about these Squips, I wanted to believe them.”

“He told me where to get them, and how much to bring, and I tried it. Next thing I know, I’m drinking a Mountain Dew with a tic tac, and then, I was making a fool of myself as it came online. The Squip...it’s not like anything else. It’s like taking a super drug. You feel better, smarter, you NEED it. And slowly, you get cut off from the people you love, the people that were there for you before you had ever heard of a Squip.”

He pulled his knees up to his chest, looking guiltily away from her. She felt a pang in her own chest, rubbing at the place above her heart gingerly. “Why are you telling me this?”

He turned to her, and she was shocked by the amount of pain on his face. “I never told anyone. How he made me feel. How badly I wanted him to stay and approve of me. I hated him, but-I loved him.”

It was like a punch to the gut. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Then, she sucked in a deep, silent breath, staring ahead. “I know how you feel.”

He turned to her, face shocked. “My ex was messed up, to the point of being unable to function as a happy relationship, but he wasn’t the worst sort of relationship I was ever in. The most popular girl in school decided to make me her pet project. I used to be...uncool, kind of unattractive, just...no one. I wanted to not have to deal with people being jerks, so I did something to get noticed by the Heathers, and I alienated my one friend. In the end, I found it didn’t make me happy, and so I tried to leave. But the head Heather, she decided I was either gonna do what she says, or I was gonna be absolutely nothing. She said she would destroy me.”

He looked at her, then turned away again. “What did you do?”

“I begged her to not do that, and she threw me out, saying she wanted to watch me suffer. So I left. Next thing I knew, she had died, and-I couldn’t move past it for a while, but I learned why she said that to me. I learned through the other Heather-Duke, the girl who got drunk? She wanted anyone who was able to take away her power under her control, or not to be a social pariah, so that she never lost it. I realized; I never needed them, they always needed me.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

She turned to look at him, and he hesitantly looked back, shocked by the firm gaze. “In the end, this Squip had only as much power as you gave him. You gave him a purpose, you were the reason he even was activated. You were able to take that away if you wanted. You were the only one who had a choice out of you two. You didn’t need him for anything; you chose him. HE needed YOU. He would have been nothing without you, and he was afraid of losing the only thing he did have. So, in theory, maybe he loved you, too.”

Jeremy’s eyes wandered away, and he chewed on his lip, thinking. Was that really true? Before he could ask, Veronica’s attention seemed to snap away. Her eyes became unfocused, she almost went limp, and she seemed almost to have fallen asleep. For a second, he had thought she had a stroke, and jolted, almost ready to grab her if she fell. Instead, she stood straight up, looked at him with startling clarity, and said, “Jeremy, I need to go. I really need to go. And I think it’s why you called me here; you have a Squip, don’t you?”

Before he could speak, tell her yes or no verbally, since he was absolutely certain his face screamed the answer, she was running up the stairs, straight for the door. “Veronica, wait-!”

He turned the corner, praying for her to still be there, but she was gone. He ran up them, hearing the door slam just before he reached the top, and kept going, tearing the door open. She was pulling out, and whipping away, sliding slightly on the slick road, driving away in seconds. He ran out into the snow barefoot, feeling the bitter chill stabbing at his bones, and shouted for her a few times. She didn’t stop.  
—

When Heather had told her Jeremy had been Squiped, she hadn’t wanted to believe her. Jeremy was asking for advice, for help, getting over the Squip. Besides, Heather likes to twist things, to make them go a giants Veronica. This, it couldn’t be real. But then, in a painful instant, her denial died, and she saw the truth. He was asking because he was there again, had gone back to it. But why? Why call her? Was HE the attacker? He had been pretty close in Michael’s case, but it didn’t make sense! Could it be like lycanthropy would be, where he went into periods of control loss, only the Squip took it over?

“Heather, I need to find the Heathers and Martha. They said they would be going out; where are they?”

She had already noticed Chandler in the passenger seat, staring intently forward. “They went to the school. Sometime after you left last night, Heather got Rich’s number, and he invited them to a drama practice. It’s pretty fucking stupid to me.”

Something felt off about that, but she let it be, and instead focused on the location. The school was two miles away, and she had to turn right. Beside her, Heather gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing slightly. She didn’t like to admit it, but lying to Veronica was extremely hard for her to do. As they turned, Heather was sure this would be one of the most dangerous things she ever had Veronica do, but she knew the girl had been through some pretty unbelievable shit, so she would just be there to make sure she survived.  
—

When Veronica arrived at the school, she was absolutely certain something was very wrong. The cars were parked sporadically, nowhere near the theatre entrance, and she was sure that Heather’s Jeep was nowhere to be seen. She hopped out, walking toward where the theatre was. “Heather, are the still in the theatre?”

Heather nodded, moving forward quickly. “Move your ass. Get down to that stage now!”

She moved quickly, jogging to the doors and pulling them open. What she saw freaked her out. Dancing alone on the stage in a spotlight, the room entirely dark, was Christine. A thick stage rope was tied around her neck loosely, and it was clear to Veronica that she was absolutely lost in her own mind. Could it be...? Christine let out a loud cheer, hopping up and down, and the noose, because that’s what it was, flopped with her. She whooped excitedly, and then shouted, “and now, for the grand finale!”

Veronica had raced straight forward, jumping up onto the stage as the girl slowly turned and sauntered off toward the back of the stage. She crawled quickly to her feet, grabbing the girl, and pulled the noose off, throwing it to the side. “Christine, stop!” She shouted at the struggling girl, and said girl listened, shocked back to herself. 

“...Veronica?”

She knew in that instant that the girl must have been Squiped. She didn’t even seem to know what was going on. “The cafeteria,” Heather said suddenly, and she turned, leaving the confused girl. “Don’t do anything stupid, God dammit!” She shouted behind her, and the girl started chasing after her. 

“Veronica, wait, what’s going on?!”

She left her behind. It took her longer than she wanted to reach the cafeteria, but when she slammed the doors open, it was with more than enough time. Brooke and Chloe sat opposite each other, making what appeared to be a promise to each other, bleach sitting between them. “No!” She shouted, running to the startled girl’s and grabbing the bleach, lugging it into her arms. “But Veronica-!”

“No butts! Now, where is-“

“Outside, Ronnie. The last one’s on the roof,” Heather supplied, pointing straight up. She hissed, anger bubbling up. Seriously? How do you get a bunch of perfectly normal kids to suddenly fly off the rails?!

She pushed open the outside door, holding the bleach to her chest and looking up. Just as Heather had said, Jake was on the roof, teetering on the edge, swaying slightly. “Jake, you get your ass down the normal way, or I’ll bring you back to life after all this, and make sure you never seen Chloe again!”

Well, that got through to the idiot. He groaned, but nodded, stepping back from the edge and moving across the roof. “Heather, where are The Heathers and Martha?”

Heather was silent for a moment. “They’ll be here soon, but I needed you to get over her before these fucking idiots got themselves killed.”

Veronica signed, feeling drained. This was not how she thought today would go, but it was good that they were at least alive. She held the bleach tightly in one hand, and ran to her mother’s car, praying to anyone that was there to keep these kids from trying it again. So far, they seemed stopped, but she wasn’t sure they would stay that way. She tore at the handle, pulling it open and tossing the bleach to the floor before popping the truck.

She raced to it, pushing it open, and revealed the small bag she had decided to pack, just in case, along with her mallet. Taking a deep breath, she unzipped the bag, and breathed a sigh of relief. There was the Mountain Dew Red, right where it should be, safely at hand. She knew this was a possibility, but this was far worse than she thought. She needed to get this to Squiped students, and fast, because it was pretty clear, whoever had set this up, wanted everyone dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope everyone is liking my story. I’m flattered that people seem to like it, and I hope you’re ready for the next chapter.;)


	18. The Pitiful Children, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another little gift for my dear readers! Hope you’re ready for this!!!

It had only been five minutes since Veronica stormed out, and Jeremy was absolutely terrified. What was going on?! Why did Veronica seem like she had a Squip, yet instantly close off once she knew he did? “Are you sure she doesn’t have a Squip,” Jeremy asked again, pacing back and forth.

His Squip glared at him, clearly irritated. He couldn’t help it, though; ever since he had met her, something had felt off, and he knew she had been investigating all of the crimes, not to mention had shown up at both scenes. Still, something wasn’t adding up with the idea that she had been the attacker. For one, she was nowhere near strong enough to drag Rich and Michael around, and he knew they had been dragged. Second, the attacker had been confirmed to be a man. Third, it was a Squiped man, and Beronica did not have a Squip. She had also saved them. Who WAS the attacker?

He heard a knock on the door, and headed downstairs. His dad had been at work for the day, something he was relieved about after his and Veronica’s talk devolved, but now he was a bit worried. What if it was the attacker? What if it was Veronica? Who could it be? He reached the bottom of the stairs, pulling open the door even as his Squip tried to stop him, shocking him. “Ow!”

Then, the door slammed open, and he was shocked to see Rich standing across from him, eyes hazy. He blinked, confused. “Rich?”

Then, he grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out of the doorway and outside, feet still bare. “What the heck is going on?! Why is Rich attacking me?!”

The Squip was silent a moment. “I can’t currently stop him; his Squip is aligned with Jason’s, and any contact would put you in the same trance as Rich.”

“Jason? Who’s Jason?!”

“He and his Squip are the masterminds behind Rich and Michael’s attacks, along with the drugging of you and everyone else with Squips. Unlike when I Squiped you friends, he wants everyone to die, and the Squips have changed their desires so far.”  
Rich shoved him into the driver’s side, then forced him into the passenger’s seat, buckling him in. “Rich, please, why are you doing this?!”

Rich didn’t answer as he pulled out, driving to who knows where.  
—

Apparently, it was to the school. Rich grabbed him tightly, pulling him back through the driver’s side, and pushed him forward, toward the building. “Alright, Alright,” he mumbled, rubbing at his arm and shoulder. He had forgotten how strong Rich was. When he finally entered the cafeteria, he was startled to see the rest of there friends minus Michael and Veronica and, well, her friends, standing around seeming almost scared. They seemed to be talking to someone quietly, and the man had dark hair, was wearing all black, and seemed extremely comfortable. 

This had to be him. The guy that had attacked Rich and Michael, that drugged everyone. What did his Squip call him? Jason? He stopped and the man slowly stood, seeming almost to wait for the tension to build. Then, he turned around, and he knew. Michael had been right. Jason was J.D., Veronica’s supposedly dead ex, and he was anything but dead. He seemed comfortable and disturbingly in control, something that was beginning to freak him out.

“So you’re Jeremy Heere. You’re...taller than I expected.”

His voice was enticingly seductive, and it was comforting but something felt dangerous about this man. “I’m J.D. Jason Dean, but I like my nickname better. So, by now, I’m sure you’ve figured out who I am, or at least what I’ve done.”

Then, he turned, looking behind him, where someone was being dragged in. It looked like two football players were holding someone, but it was clear that they were Squiped, looking completely unfocused. They threw down the person between them, and Jeremy easily recognized him. “Michael! What are you doing?!”

He tried to rush to his friend, but was grabbed by the football players, and dragged to a chair. He struggled as his hands were held together behind his back, tied together, and finally, he felt the rope wrap around his torso, anchoring him to the chair. He was released, but he felt just how trapped he really was. He looked up, staring in devastation as the man approached his friend. “Nice to meet you again, Michael. Last time, I was sure you would be dead. You can’t even understand how mad I was. I was ready to blow up your house, but no, that would have done nothing. It’s not that I hate you, Michael, it’s that the Squip sees you as a threat. And I can’t have anyone stopping my plans, so...”

Then, he slowly pulled out a bell, and shook it firmly. A loud ringing filled the air, and a petite blonde stepped in, carrying a gun. “Laurel?!” Chloe said, shocked. What was her sister doing here?

“Laurel was my first test subject, to see what these Squips could do. Turns out it was a success.”

He took the gun, almost reverently, and stared at it, eyes bright with what looked to be tears. “So many memories. All the time I spent with her, all the things we did. But she decided to end it, far too early.”

“Who the Hell is ‘Her’?!” Jeremy screamed, tears blurring his vision.

J.D. looked over, blinking away his tears. “You don’t deserve to hear her name,” he hissed, “she was the most beautiful, intelligent, perfect person I ever met, but she couldn’t take the deaths, she didn’t want to serve justice anymore. I went to talk to her, and she hid in her closet. When I opened it, she was-she was-“

He stopped, choking on his words. He looked like he might be sick, but he continued. “She was HANGING. It was like some sort of nightmare. I didn’t want to live in this world anymore! But I had to be strong. For us. I-I didn’t even have anything to hold onto! Next thing I remember, I’m waking up in a hospital, shot and almost dead, with no idea how it happened.”

He looked down at Michael, chuckling bitterly. “Once I’m done with you, I’m taking my new friends here,” he gestured around as people of all shapes and sizes stepped out, moving closer and closer to the smaller group, “and I’m going to blow up this miserable school, along with everyone inside. Then, I’m gonna track down the last two Heathers, and I’ll kill them, too. But for now,”

Out of nowhere, Michael was hauled to his knees, held still by two men. “I think it’s time we get rid of you, Michael.”  
—

Veronica had pushed the bag under a bush when she saw the approaching horde of cars, and quickly slid down as well. She watched as they parked, as dozens of people stepped out, and finally as they headed inside. When she was sure she wouldn’t be caught by the quasi-zombie crew, she stood up, rubbing her hands together for warmth and trying to brush water off her jacket and skirt. Hiding in snow really sucked.

Then, she headed inside, holding her mallet firmly. She had plenty of experience dealing with crazies, so hopefully this didn’t go to Hell.  
—   
“NO!” Jeremy screamed, struggling hard enough to rub his wrists raw, but J.D. only laughed.

“That won’t work, Jeremy. Trust me, you can’t fight this. You’ll be with him again soon enough.” Jeremy froze at those words, eyes wide.

Michael tried to shout something, but the tape muffled the words. J.D. ripped the tape off, earning a cry of pain from the younger boy. “You were saying?”

“You don’t have to kill anyone, man. People change! They learn! You don’t have to do this for Vero-“

J.D. slapped him hard, making his head fuzzy. “You can’t fake it, Michael! You can’t be one of them! And I have to show you just how UNKIND THIS WORLD IS!”

He held the gun slowly up, aiming it for the younger boy’s forehead. Hot tear tracks made trails down his cheeks, and he was staring into J.D.’s eyes. It was almost like Veronica...

He growled, grabbing his head in pain. He let out a shout, moving the gun away as he clutched at his head, then he snapped it back, aiming the barrel again, eyes insane with rage. “THE ONLY PLACE WHERE HEATHERS AND MARTHAS LIKE YOU CAN GET ALONG IS IN HEAVEN! NOW, DIE!”  
—  
Veronica heard the muffled shout, heard the last words clearly, heard the voice, but only one thing seemed to compute; someone was going to flex and she had to stop it.  
It was in a moment of shock and adrenaline that Veronica slammed her shoulder into the door, and it banged against the far wall, causing J.D. to jump, shocked. He turned, about to aim the gun, when he froze. Their eyes had connected, and in that moment, it was as if both of them had been punched in the gut, knocking the wind out of them. Even Jack seemed shocked, blinking between the two, and everyone was perfectly still. It seemed almost as if time had stopped around the two young adults, and something in J.D.’s chest began to ache.

“...Veronica?” The sound was uncertain, absolutely terrified, and just a bit tinged with hope. He was slowly taking a step forward, stumbling just a little.

Then, his vision blurred, and he felt the hot tears that were pouring down down his face. He scrubbed sporadically at his face, one nail accidentally leaving a scratch under one eye. “Are...are you real? Is she-!”

He had whirled to look at his Squip who had just began to recover. He nodded once, a curt gesture that spoke volumes to his disbelief. Then, he turned back to her, took a deep breath, and ran at her. She took a step back, eyes suddenly horrified, and she flinched a bit, shocked as he slammed into her, grabbing her and sweeping her into his arms, twirling around as he sobbed and laughed, stopping to gently put her back on her feet. Then, he buried a hand in her dark hair, holding her close as he cried into her shoulder. “Oh, God,” He blubbered loudly, “I’m sorry, Veronica, I’m so sorry,” shaking, and she stood perfectly still, eyes wide and unbelieving.

Then, hesitantly, they swivelled toward him, the gentle browns watering. “...Jason Dean?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so who saw that coming? Is everyone happy how I...naw, you probably are. I hope you’re ready, cuz the story is almost done!


	19. The Truth comes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to some angst, my dears. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for all the support.:) On to the story!

Heather was pulling her hair back with he yellow scrunchy, straightening her jacket and jeans. That’s right, jeans. She didn’t have time to look absolutely perfect today, and needed to be ready for anything. Veronica hadn’t come home from Jeremy’s house, and she had been gone for almost four whole hours today. She hadn’t called, hadn’t texted, and hadn’t told anyone when she would be home, and Heather had been worried for her since the movie party three days earlier, when she had walked home alone in the snow.

“Heather, Martha, let’s go,” she said firmly, looking over at the two who were sitting on the bed, watching her.

“Heather, why do I even need to go?!” Duke snapped in irritation, standing anyway.

“You’re going, because this is your fault,” she said firmly, pressing a finger against the brunette’s shoulder, which she shrugged off, not saying anymore as she followed her.

“Well, where do you think she is?” Martha asked softly, trying to soften the tense atmosphere.

Heather blonde brows furrowed together, and she nibbles on her lip. “I’m...not sure. Let’s start at Jeremy’s house, and go from there.”  
—

It took roughly ten minutes, but after passing the school, they realized Veronica’s car was in the parking lot. “Why would she be there?” Martha questioned, and Duke snorted. “Maybe she just loved school so much, she decided to go when no one else was there!”

Heather shook her head. “No, look. Why are there so many cars there? It’s not even a weekday...” she said, trailing of in concern. Was Veronica in trouble?

“I don’t like this. It feels like something’s really wrong,” she continued, feeling her heart beat faster, and her body went a little cold.

“Well, let’s see what this is about, maybe it’s like tryouts for a play or something,” Martha offered, but she didn’t sound convinced by her own story.

Heather wouldn’t say it, but things felt too wrong. She wanted to say that it almost felt like Westerburg all over again.

—  
Veronica felt tears run down her cheeks. Was this real? “But you, you died,” she said weakly into her hands, and he shook his head. “Not dead. The doctors didn’t know how I made it, but I did.”

J.D. wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. “I missed you. So, so bad. I blamed myself for your death, but it’s okay now, we can let it pass, and go back to our plan.”

Something in Veronica sank a bit, but she tried to keep hope. “Wha-what plan?”

He smiled, and it was that same smirk he gave her when he talked about punishing Kurt and Ram; cold and almost crazy. “Killing the dinosaurs, darling’,” he murmured, pressing his fingers against the back of her neck. “They can’t just get away with what they did to us, oh, no. We’re gonna make ‘em sorry.”

She wanted to cry. “What happened to you?” She almost sobbed, staring at him hopelessly, watching the vicious grin fall and hurt cross his face before anger swiftly overtook it. “You would know better, wouldn’t you? Why I was shot and battered a few months ago, with a concussion so bad, I couldn’t remember almost anything? After all, if you thought I was dead, something must have happened, and you must have been there.”

He grabbed one of her wrists, so tight that it ached, and she let out a cry of pain, trying to shake him off before finally slamming he foot against his shin, kicking until he let go. She scrambled for her mallet, which was halfway across the room, almost against the wall. It had been flung from her hands, much like J.D.’s gun. When she reached it, she fumbled a bit before the solid wood was firmly gripped in her fist, and she turned, staring him down. He was staring at her eyes filled with unfathomable anger. “You betrayed me!” He hissed. “Didn’t you?! Faked your death and-“

His face looked troubled, uncertain, as he stopped, staring at her searchingly. “...What in the Hell happened?”

“You tried to blow up the school, so I stopped you,” she said firmly, staring right back.

“Well, you’ll tell me more once I squash your little rebellion,” he growled, and for a moment, she saw all the things she had hated about her high school bullies, about J.D.’s own father, and even her own parents, reflected in his face.

“I would like to see you fucking try,” she replied, ready for their fight.

That is, until the horde of zombie people turned and stared at her, singularly focused on her. “...shit.”

Before anyone can move, Heather, Heather, and Martha appear, looking like they had just walked off the set of a winter wonderland commercial, wearing coats with snow in their hair. The only thing not explainable was the taser in Martha’s hand, and the two mallets in the Heathers hands. “Veronica, are you okay?”

“Well, looks like the school shooter didn’t die,” Duke said, and MacNamara glared at her. Martha looked suspicious, but then, she spoke. “What’s going on, Veronica?”

“Martha, for now, we need to protect her from...what the Hell is going on?” Heather spoke again, confused as she looked around.

“HE’S TRYING TO KILL US! STOP HIM!” Jeremy shouted, struggling frantically.

They ran to her side, lifting their mallets and taser respectively. “You mess with her, and you deal with us,” MacNamara growled, ready to swing. 

And in that moment, the zombie people ran at them, attempting to scratch or claw at them, failing as they were clumsy. The Heathers and Martha were hitting as hard as they could, dropping people like flies left and right. Veronica stood, standing beside Duke, and fought, but was slowly forced away from them, toward J.D. He snapped a hand out, pulling her close, smiling. “Let her go!” MacNamara shouted, and the zombie people seemed almost to stop moving all together.

J.D. snorted, squeezing Veronica’s wrist. “Oh, please! You wouldn’t defend her if you knew what she’s done, what really happened to your friends,” J.D. spat, a bitter smirk slowly crawling across his face.

“J.D.!” 

Veronica felt sick dread pool in her stomach, and he whole body seemed to vibrate. “J.D., stop, haven’t they been through enough?”

J.D. sent her a cruel smile, holding a finger to his lips before shifting his gaze back to the Heathers. Or, well, what was left of them. “I remember it like it was yesterday. Well, that really isn’t true, but I can piece it together well enough. It’s a bit fuzzy. Concussions, man. Not even a Slushee has the same brain-damaging effects. Still, it seems Veronica here,” he spat her name, taunting and sharply grinning, “didn’t want to tell you. It’s been months, and she hasn’t told you at all, has she? What I, WE, did?”

Duke snarled, then turned to her, glaring at her. “You didn’t lie that time, did you? At that stupid program where Heather just had to say something. You didn’t lie.”

The outrage on the Asian girl’s face was absolutely agonizing. “You motherfucking, sonofabitch-whore, shit-sucking-“

MacNamara’s mallet thunked against the ground as the head hit it, the girl’s strong hold almost completely dropping it. Her face...it was absolutely heartbroken. Veronica felt sick. Tears had just started to pool down her friend’s cheeks, and she just wanted to wipe them away. “H-Heather,” she tried to say, but it came out as a desperate whisper.

“Oh, my God,” Martha said, and Jeremy looked on in horror, as did Michael. They had known the fears were suspicious, but this was ominous, far worse than just a Squip.

“Should I tell you how it all really happened? How exactly WE killed your friends? HER friends?”

“I-I didn’t mean-“ Veronica sobbed, her mallet clattering to the ground as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

“Oh, of course you didn’t. It’s not like you gave Heather that glass of drain cleaner-“

“That was an accident!” She screamed, tears falling down her cheeks, her voice thick and nasally. “I didn’t want to even joke about that!”

“Oh, but what about our plans to fake Kurt and Ram’s deaths? You knew, you wrote the note-“

“You lied to me! You said the bullets were fake! You-I-“ she fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. “I’m a murderer,” came out muffled, almost completely unrecognizable.

“Babe, you’re a revolutionary! I’m mean, come on! Look at what we achieved in Sherwood; acceptance, anti-suicide campaigns, we made the evilest person alive one of the most charitable! I mean, come on! We can do anything together!” 

Duke pushes away one of the Squiped students, stomping over to MacNamara and Martha, grabbing onto both of them. “We don’t need to be here, guys. This bitch can die for all I care. She deserves to burn in Hell along with the psychopath over there.”

Martha looked like she wanted to argue, but Duke’s glare broken no argument. MacNamara followed, absolutely silent, curling in on herself. In a moment of odd gentleness, Duke wrapped her arm around the taller girl’s shoulders, leading her toward the Jeep, Martha slowly following them. She glanced back multiple times, but, Veronica wouldn’t look up, and something insane glinted in J.D.’s eyes. She could tell immediately that Veronica was just as much a victim in this as the others were, something she hadn’t noticed before, and it was clear exactly how much guilt her friend was feeling. Still, something about Duke’s reaction felt justified, right. They had been lied to, and she was their friend. The fact she had helped kill people they cared about? She was having a hard time feeling for her childhood friend. “Let’s go, Dunnstock!”

Then, she was through the door, as Veronica was swallowed up in the crowd, gone. And that made Martha feel absolutely sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I have a question...  
> As this story comes to an end, I have an idea for a second story, and I want to hear if you guys like the idea. 
> 
> It takes place during the summer, and Veronica’s just graduated. Now, she finds herself kidnaped by an organization interested in experimenting on her and the others, and it’s a Chinese company trying to us the drugs as a way to make super soldiers. They are sent out with a shady shipping company, but turns out that the captain isn’t such a bad guy after all.
> 
> Now, I use the situation and characters from firefly as the crew for the ship, but that’s about it. If you like the sound of it, leave a comment saying you want it. I’ll see about writing it if I get enough good feedback.
> 
> Bye!


	20. Heyo, West Borough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the next thrilling chapter! On to the story!

Heather hadn’t noticed she was in the passenger seat of Heather’s Jeep until the car rumbled to life, shaking her roughly from her pained thoughts. In fact, she hadn’t even noticed them leaving the school, and leaving the school had meant leaving Veronica. That, more than any other thought she had, scared her down to her soul.

“Wait, we need to save Veronica!” She cried, attempting to open the door as Heather roughly pulled out.

Heather knew it must seem odd, unhealthy, even, to want to help Veronica, especially after what she’s learned. Hell, she had damn-near hated Duke for the fearful depression she had sunk into after Heather, Kurt and Ram died, and it had been hard to forgive her for that. But she had forgiven Duke, who was almost the cause of her own death, and Veronica had forgiven her for the horrible little prank she and Duke pulled, making her look like a slut after attempting to date-rape her. She couldn’t find it in her to hate the girl. She had seen how destroyed her friend was, had heard the nightmares, had held her while she cried. Veronica wasn’t a killer; she was a victim to her own mistakes, just like Heather had been. 

Now, it was Heather’s turn to save her. “Save that bitch? No way am I sticking my neck out for HER! She killed our best friend!” Duke shouted back, pulling recklessly out of the school parking lot, glaring at the road.

Something broke in Heather, something that left jagged points. She wanted to help Veronica, but she wanted to finally stand up for herself. She was not a child who needed help deciding things, and Duke was not her mother. She was going to say was she needed to. “YOU ALMOST KILLED ME! You gave me sleeping pills, and told me to kill myself, and you laughed at me when I was scared! Friend? You’re not my friend! YOU’RE A SELFISH BITCH WHO’S TOO SCARED TO ADMIT SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL SHE’S DOING! Now pull over, and let me out!”

Duke looked stunned, and she quickly pulled over. Heather jumped out, slamming the door hard behind her, and hurried back toward the school. Inside the car, Martha sat shocked, not sure what to say. She had never seen kind, gentle Heather MacNamara get so angry. Then, she heard a chuffed out little sound, and swivelled her eyes toward Duke. She had her head bowed forward, and her shoulders shook weakly. Then, Martha heard the sound again, and realized what the horrible sound was. It was sobbing. 

Heather Duke, the Heather that had no real personality, proved just how much she could feel as the sound slowly continued. It was a deep, painful sound, almost like someone having an asthma attack, but she could also hear the sniffles, the pitiful little whimpers, and finally, she began to cry into her hands, tears almost leaking out of the creases. Martha gently put a hand on her shoulder, just being present for the girl. “Heather, Veronica would never want to Hirt anyone if she could help it. You deserve to be angry, but maybe, once we’ve made sure she’s okay, maybe we should ask her why. You deserve your answers.”

Duke looked up at her, eyes pink and weepy, studying her for a moment. “Your right,” she said dejectedly. “I don’t wanna save her, though.”

Martha almost laughed. “Just think of it as your way to make sure she answers your questions,” she replied, and Duke nodded, turning the car around. She was still wiping at her face, but she looked determined. She pulled up beside Heather, rolling down her window as the girl ignored her.

“Heather, get your ass in the car, we’ve got some poser geek to save,” and stopped the car.

Heather stopped and looked at her, smiling before running around the car and jumping in. Though it was silent in the Jeep after that, the two remaining Heathers held hands tightly, and Martha could tell that the two forgave each other. Now it was time to save Veronica.  
—

Veronica was dragged straight up from the ground, pulled to her feet by the zombie people, and dragged to a chair set up right next to Jeremy. He seemed at a loss for words when he looked at her, and it hurt to see the fear and distrust in the lines of his face. As her hand were pulled behind her and she was tied firmly to the chair, she turned her attention back to J.D., who seemed to be out of it for a moment. Then, as if feeling her eyes on him, he came back to reality. “Don’t worry, Veronica, you’ll like having a Squip; it’s like having a friend in your head, that only you can hear. It’s better than that, even. You never have to worry about anything, never have to be afraid. You can just be yourself!” 

She gave him a serious look, feeling exasperated. “No, thanks. I have too many voices in my head already.”

She could hear Heather snorting, and the hurt anger in J.D.’s eyes. “Why are you fighting me?! Don’t you understand I’m doing this for you, for us?!”

She sent him a stern glare, willing away the tears. She didn’t have time to cry. “You’re not doing this for me or us, you’re doing it for you. You’re selfishly trying to drag me into your downward spiral, and you think it’s a good thing! You don’t even remember what happened, between us, after. You don’t remember at all, you’ve forgotten everything, what you made me promise, what I’ve gone through! And I bet you don’t even care.”

She couldn’t help the pain that seeped into her words, or the way her anger dissolved into sadness. She had been heartbroken when he died, but she had gone on, just for him. Now, she had to do this all over again, and she didn’t want to be strong, but she had to this could be so much worse. J.D. searched her face, looking miserable, and he kneels in front of her, taking her face in his hands. “I can’t remember,” he almost sobbed, looking so conflicted. “Please, I can’t remember! Tell me, what can’t I remember?!”

He rested his forehead against her knees, shoulders shaking, and she actually pitied him. She hadn’t realized how lost J.D. had been, not since their last interaction, but she ached to help him, to do anything. So, she did the one thing she could; she began to speak. “That day, I found out that Martha tried to kill herself, and was in the hospital, and I felt so guilty. It was my fault, it really was. Then, I went home, and you left that book with my parents, and told them I was contemplating suicide, and I KNEW. I knew you were willing to hurt me, and I was scared, then you crawled in my window, and I was trapped, so-“

She stopped, taking a breath, calming herself a bit. It had all come rushing out, and she hadn’t had any control over the words. Then, she continued. “When you saw me hanging, I thought you would actually stop, but you didn’t, so I followed you to the school. You told me what you were planning, and I couldn’t let you Hirt anyone else. I went down to the boiler room, where you decided to set up the bomb, then-“

The doors slammed open loudly, startling the group. Turning, everyone saw the two Heathers and Martha, each standing ready to fight. “You again? I thought you would have left,” J.D. commented, still resting against Veronica’s legs, acting as if he didn’t have tears pouring down his cheeks.

Instead of either Heather, Martha spoke. “We’re back for our FRIEND, Veronica, and you took her. If you don’t give her to us, we’re gonna have to take her back, and stop you.”

Veronica teared up, feeling unworthy of her friends in that moment. J.D. stood up, looking livid, and he pointed at them. He didn’t even speak. The zombie people turned to them, and MacNamara slowly swing her mallet. “Come at me,” she dared, and they began to run at her, even Veronica’s other friends.

She swung easily, and took out two people swiftly, rolling over one person to hit another square across the face. “Heyo, Westerburg, Hell me what’s that sound,” she began, singing loudly, and immediately, J.D. jerked, grabbing at his head and wincing.

Then, Veronica realized; that was playing while he was fighting her! It would break through to him, or at least stop him temporarily, and she had to keep it up. “Heather! Keep singing!”

“Here comes Westerburg, coming to put you in the ground!”

J.D. cried out, throwing his head up, eyes scrunched tight as he tightly grabbed either side of his head. “Good! Keep going!”

“Go, go Westerburg, give a great big yell!”

At this point, Duke and Martha had joined in, and the three almost shouted the words. J.D. fell to his knees, groaning, shaking uncontrollably. Then, in a final moment, even Veronica joined in for the last line.

“Westerburg will knock you out, and send you straight to Hell!”  
—

It was like his skull was cracking open, and out poured the memories; him and Veronica, her hanging herself, him going to the school and planting the bombs, the her confronting him.

She stood across from him, eyes filling with crystal tears as he shouted, pointing the gun at her. “I wish your mom had been a little stronger,”

He was so shocked, he lowered the gun. She took a step forward. “I wish she’d stayed around a little longer!”

Now, her tears poured over. “I WISH YOUR DAD WAS GOOD, I WISH GROWNUPS UNDERSTOOD!”

He felt his own eyes burn, and tears blurred his vision, spilling out. “I WISH WE’D MET BEFORE THEY CONVINCED YOU LIFE WAS WAR!”

It hurt. God, did it hurt. “I WISH YOU’D COME WITH ME-“

He smacked her hand aside, raising the gun. He wasn’t wrong! He wasn’t! “I wish I had more TNT!”

The two had fought, and in the ensuing fight, the gun had gone off, and it had hit him. She had taken the bomb and run, ready to give her own life to save everyone else, and he had followed, taking the bomb himself, claiming it was because she had “won fair and square”. In truth, he had loved her too much. Then, the world had exploded as he walked away from the bomb, wanting to have something left of him. Instead, he had survived, lost his memory, and made all the same mistakes again. And he had hurt Veronica again. Slowly letting his hands drop, he sighed. Then he looked up, and to Veronica, who was watching him with tired eyes. Swallowing a sob, he took a breath.

“I’m so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, be honest; who was expecting this as the resolve to the conflict of J.D’s memory??I hope I blew you minds!
> 
> Update:  
> It seems I mistyped which chapter it was, sorry! Thanks for letting me know.


	21. I See Dead People, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm sorry that it's been a while, but a lot has changed recently, and I wanted to make sure that this chapter was done right.
> 
> I decided to break it into two, so let's see how you guys deal with my little twist! ;)

J.D. felt sick to his stomach, and he almost wanted to vomit. He had hated Kurt, Ram, and especially Heather for their very existences, not to meant the ways they had tormented Veronica, but he had become his own enemy; he had attempted to hurt her, multiple times, had wanted to force her to do things she didn’t want to. What made him any different from them now?

“Veronica, I swear, I’ll fix this,” he said thickly through tears, standing to undo her bindings when he heard it, and he cursed himself to Hell and back for allowing it. “Up, up, down, down, left, right, A!”

His whole body froze up, stiff and completely still. “Now, Jason, that wasn’t our deal,” Jack said, walking menacingly toward Veronica, quietly circling the girl that couldn’t see him at all.

“We need to get rid of the nuisance, of MICHAEL,” he stressed, then he said, “arms, activate.”

Next thing he knew, he had swung a fist firmly into Heather Duke’s stomach, his mind scrambling to figure out when he had moved to her, and she collapsed, laying still on the ground. MacNamara has run screaming at him, brandishing the mallet high, and even he could see how useless this attempt would be.  
In one moment, he snatched the taser out of Martha’s hands, turned back to the blonde girl, and electrocuted her, causing her to shriek in pain before falling as well, draped over her friend.

Martha looked at him, taking a step back. He lunged forward, hitting the poor girl with her own taser, and dropped her as well, though she only seemed stunned In Comparison to her friends. Then, he walked calmly over to the gun, trying to resist every step. “No! Jack, stop! I don’t want to hurt anybody again!”

“But you already have, Jason,” Jack purred, appearing in front of the gun, smiling slickly.

“Let’s get rid of Michael.”

He felt tears blurring his vision, and he saw Veronica crying as well. He knew what he had to do. “Wait! Veronica! Veronica needs to be-"

It was the only way. “She needs to be Squiped.”

This would give him time to figure out how to save everyone. Jack chuckled, looking smug. “You can't get out of this, Jason. But we can give Veronica a Squip.”

Then, J.D. moves toward a bottle of Mountain Dew, already prepared for any possible need. Dammit, he hated this whole Equip thing, why had he gotten involved with it in the first place? Veronica was staring at him sadly, and he wanted to shout that it wasn't his fault, that he was trying to save everyone, but he knew it made no difference; this WAS his fault, and he was dooming Veronica to save Michael. When had everything gotten so complicated?!

He took hold of Veronica’s mouth, feeling his eyes water, his heart pounding. “I'm sorry,” he whispered again as someone, he thought it might have been Jake, grabbed her mouth and forced it open while she tried weakly to struggle. Releasing his hold on her, he increased the bottle, turning back before forcing it into her mouth.  
_

“Fight it, Dammit!”

Sometime during J.D’s little freak out, Heather, Kurt and Ram had all shown up, doing everything they could to get her free. The only problem is ghosts/hallucinations can really touch anything, only offer moral support, so they had been repeatedly chanting at her to escape, something that was really starting to tick her off. Ram and Kurt were uselessly trying to distract J.D., and Heather was telling at her, and it was all starting to give her a headache. She was trying to force the Mountain Dew out with her tongue, but J.D. covered her mouth, staring at her with sad, large eyes, almost trying to apologize. She could taste the Mountain Dew bubbling on her tongue, could feel her mouth watering, and finally caved, gulping a small bit, which turned into half a mouthful, then a full mouthful, and she felt her stomach roll with fear. What was going to happen? J.D. let go of her, Jake following suit, and she could see a few tears on his cheeks. 

Then, before she could get mad, a searing pain struck her right behind her eyes. She slammed them shut, groaning. Suddenly, Heather fell silent, suddenly enough to confuse Veronica. She cracked one throbbing eye open, and saw that not only was Heather gone, but so were Kurt and Ram. What-?

Then, she let out a scream as the most intense pain she ever felt burned in her skull. Every raw nerve was burning and being torn apart all at the same time, and she was sure her brain was liquifying. J.D. and everyone else were absolutely stunned; Veronica was thrashing a screaming horribly, and it was clear she was anything but okay. In an instant of pure strength, Veronica flexed her torso, snapping the ropes holding her and partially freeing herself. She hadn't stopped screaming for the last 15 seconds, fighting the whole time, but in an instant, she stilled, eyes growing impossibly wide, pulling in a deep breath. 

The scream that came out of that breath was so powerful, so intense, so LOUD,that the windows cracked around them, and everyone grabbed their ears, trying to protect them from the sound. A light, so blinding that no one could keep their eyes open, came straight from Veronica, and her scream abruptly stopped. Then, three thuds sounded, and the light faded. Blinking away spots, J.D., Michael, and Jeremy turned to look, and none of them could believe their eyes. 

Slowly stumbling to their feet were three teens, two boys wearing Letterman jackets, and a girl wearing an oddly sexy plaid skirt and red jacket, knee high socks, and pumps. It would have been fine, really, if they had been anywhere near Veronica beforehand. But J.D. knew this was impossible; they were buried in Sherwood...somewhere. His memory was still a bit buggy. Anyway, he clearly remembered shooting two of them, and watching the other one choke and gag until she stopped moving.

So, if he could clearly remember them dying, mostly his own doing, why were Kurt, Ram, and Heather fucking Chandler standing there, living and breathing for all he could tell?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for all of you who wondered about the everyone lives tag, this is my answer. I know it's a bit weird, but I kinda wanted to do something like how ghosts are portrayed in Beetlejuice, kinda alive but not alive, too. I guess it's my little cheating solution.
> 
> Tell me what you think! Also, sequel? Yes, no, maybe? I didn't get much feedback, but I do appreciate what I did recieve.


	22. I See Dead People, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! 
> 
> Quick update because I've had most of this part written for the last few months, and I decided to finish it! Hope you enjoy this, and don't worry, Michael and Jeremy definitely have more of a role soon.

J.D. had no idea how to react. “Chandler...”he said, trailing off in shock.

“Jason Dean,” she started, giving him a once-over. Then, in a move he hadn’t seen coming at all, she punched him solidly across the face, sending him sprawling, smacking his head against the ground sharply. “Congratulations.”

“What?” J.D. was supremely confused and angry. He had never liked Chandler; she was everything he hated about people, and he had never liked how she humiliated and seemed almost to completely control everything about Veronica to the point of making her absolutely hopeless. He had been glad she was dead. Seems even death didn’t get rid of her.

“I said congratulations, on your spectacular fuck-up. You have invented an entirely new type of stupid; truly, a damage that you can’t just fucking brush under the rug. You are a complete and total idiot.”

“Oh, shut up, Heather,” he growled, slowly pushing himself up on his elbows, gingerly brushing his knuckles against his cheek. “You drank florescent blue drain cleaner. You’re a stupid bitch that deserved to die.”

Heather snarled, but gave a bitter laugh. “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw. Yeah, I deserved to die. I had every person at school ready to bow to my every whim, I could destroy anyone I wanted to, I could screw anyone, I could have murdered someone and gotten away with it easy, not that I ever tried. I guess I do have one thing to thank you for, though.”

The two locked eyes, and Chandler smirked viciously, her beautiful face filled with a sick satisfaction. “Because Veronica was guilty, I was able to haunt her, and so were Kurt and Ram. You literally gave me the one thing I didn’t have.”

“You,” he spat, pure hate filling his face. “You’re what turned her against me. All this time, I thought it was Westerburg. I thought it was that damn school. No. It was you. You, you, you! You...took her away from me.” 

“Wrong again, Jason, you didn’t that all on your own. You know, waving a gun around doesn’t tend to peel panties. There’s only one person to blame, and you knew who it was when you died, or at least when you should have died.”

She leaned over him, so far her skirt was clinging dangerously high, almost showing off her...well, it was highly distracting to everyone watching, and Ram took the opportunity to check on Veronica, who was visibly pale and who’s lips had started to turn just a hint blue. It was a terrible sign, one that even Ram could read.

“Kurt! Kurt!” He shook his friend, who was fixated on Chandler’s...skirt, shaking him out of his daze. “This is bad, I don’t think Veronica’s doing okay.”

Kurt turned, and cursed quietly at what he saw, this was bad. “I don't know if she’s breathing, dude.”

At the same time, Heather had grabbed J.D. by the front of his shirt, pulling their faces close. “You are the only one to blame,” she hissed, and he felt his eyes burn, feeling the tear slide down his cheek.

“You can make this right,” she said, face softening. “You have to stop this, and you have to turn yourself in. You have to!”

He knew she was right. Then, he heard his Squip. “Activate Martial Arts arms.”

Then, he was swinging out at Heather, who had let him go, easily backing away before kicking him across the face. He fell onto his back, grabbing his chin, letting out a curse. Chandler ran to Veronica’s side, pressing her ear against the unconscious girl’s chest fearfully. She didn't want to admit it, but, dammit, the idea of Veronica dying scared her more than anything else she had ever been even slightly afraid of. If anything happened…

Her eyes caught on her scrunchy, safely wrapped around Veronica’s wrist, and she gently slid it off, turning to Ram. “get me a knife or something, we need to get her out of here.”

Kurt quickly pulled a pocket knife from his jeans, handing it over whole Ram gave him an odd look. “Dude, you keep a knife in your pocket?”

“Yeah,so?”

Ram coughed, poorly disguising the word ‘boyscout’, and as Kurt opened his mouth to reply, Chandler let out a little shout. “Not the fucking time! Move your asses, get Heather and Heather, and if you can… Martha.”

Kurt snickered a little, easily picking up Duke on his back, wobbling a little when MacNamara was thrown across his shoulder. “O-okay,” he groaned, and Ram lifted up Martha, straining a bit. “we-got ‘em,” Ram finished.

Chandler stashed the knife away, lifting up Veronica. Damn, this wasn't as easy as it looked! “Let’s fucking go!” she shouted, rushing toward the doors, further into the school. The group of Squiped students seemed a bit more sluggish. Something about the light seemed to have frozen them, as if they were computers that needed to reboot. Hopefully that would stay for a little while longer…

The sound of feet pounding from behind them had them running toward the closest door, hoping it was the exit. Heather wanted to scream when she noticed the sign; boys bathroom. They didn't have time to keep running, carrying four very unconscious people had taken its toll on them, and there was no way they could get out. Why had they run into the school? Fucking stupid! Rushing in, she slammed the door closed harshly, locking it behind them and sliding down, clutching Veronica’s limp body to her chest.

Across the room, Ram had settled Martha down, and was helping Kurt put down the other Heathers. Turning her eyes down, she felt terror as she realized Veronica was too still. “God dammit, Veronica, if you die on me,”She started, laying the girl flat on the floor, listening for her heartbeat. There. It was faint, but she could hear it. Her breathing, however, was almost non-existent. She tilted her head back, pressing their mouths together as she pinched her nose and forced her breath out, into Veronica’s mouth, down her throat, and into her lungs, pulling away to suck in more air before diving back down.

“come on, come on,” Chandler sobbed, snapping her mouth closed. She was NOT about to cry, she was Heather Chandler, the fucking Demon Queen of Westerburg high, and she WAS going to save Veronica.

She could feel her breathing pick up a bit more, but it was still uneven, and her heartbeat was too slow. She had helped as much as she could for now, but they needed to get her to a hospital; she could feel how horribly injured Veronica was, could feel the energy slowly draining out of her, and she pulled her closer. “Veronica, stay with me,” she whispered, and she pressed a kiss to her head as the first slams rocked the door.


	23. The Squip Knows Best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Don't worry, I may add an epilogue, but time to see what Jeremy does!

Jeremy was struggling in his chair. He supposed he was lucky that he had the chance to escape, but that meant nothing if everyone else was going to die. He didn't want to sacrifice anyone to save himself. Turning his head, he softly called,”Michael, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m not dead yet,” he said, voice cracking a bit. 

“Jeremy. You need to leave, and quick, if you want everyone to survive.”

He jolted snapping his head to the other side. Right, his Squip was still here, and wasn't trying to convince him to murder someone. Hell, the whole time he was back, he hadn't once mentioned being more popular or more chill. It was a bit unsettling, even as it was a relief. Still, he didn't trust the Squip as far as he could throw him, and considering he was a hologram, that distance was non-existent. “How do I know this isn't your fault again? Last time I listened to you, I became someone I hate-"

“All valid points, but we don't have time. Your friend Veronica is dying, and if anything happens to her, you and all your little friends are doomed. More than that, I didn’t cause this. That boy, Jason Dean? He Squiped himself, and ended up with a highly unstable Program that has overwritten all the other Squips. All but me, that is.”

A jolt ran through Jeremy’s wrists, and the ropes slackened, falling loose enough for his hands to slip free. “YOU were unstable,” he spat, pointing at the Equip with one hand as he tugged free his torso, standing to untie a rather confused Michael. 

The Squip was silent for a moment before his voice rose again.”You aren't wrong. I was...glitched, at best, and a virus, at worst. Unfortunately, that was not solely my fault. It was your stage of mind that decided my actions. I am a computer, Jeremy. You are the only person I can base emotions off of.”

It clicked for Jeremy in that moment. That was why the Squip was so mean, and so icy. It's why the Squip had tried to push him into sexual encounters and away from Michael. More than anything, though, it was why he was different now. 

Because Jeremy was different.

He didn't secretly despise Michael for his view, or feel trapped by his friendship. He wasn't insecure about being a virgin, and he didn't thing being cool was almost literal. No, he knew better now. And he had come to like himself. It was an odd feeling, but something softened toward the Squip, something he had been holding onto. “Okay,” he said, less angrily. “What’s your plan?”

“The Squip has a plan?! And you're going to try it?” Michael nearly shouted in disbelief as Jeremy pulled him to his feet.

“You see any other solutions?”

“We'll, no,” he started uncertain. “But come on! This is the Squip we’re talking about. He literally took control of your body and made you fight me once! And he’s forced you to do things you don't want.”

“So far, he’s never lied to me. He doesn't always say the truth, but he’s never lied. He told me there might be a way to save everyone, and if there is,” he stopped, giving Michael a firm look. 

Michael sighed, shaking his head. “Fine, but if we die, I’m gonna kill you.”

The two shared a laugh, but Jeremy stopped when the Squip coughed sharply. “Right. Wasting time. Squip, what was your plan?”

The hologram grew serious. “I will direct you to the Mountain Dew Red, and you will drink it.”

Jeremy turned fully to the hologram, not fully believing his ears. “But you don't want to leave. Why would you direct me to the Mountain Dew Red?”

“What?” Michael said, looking between Jeremy and the blank air he appeared to be talking to.

“It is the only option. The only way to stop a malfunctioning Squip. I will direct you. I won't be completely gone, though,” he said, showing a rare smile as he swiftly moved toward the cafeteria doors to the snowy outside world.

“Now hurry, follow me.”

“Come on,” Jeremy said, hastily grabbing Michael's hand and running after the Squip. Something felt different about him, and Jeremy did quite know why, but all the anger and shame surrounding his actions and the Squip had dissolved immensely. Maybe it was realizing he hadn't actually gotten anyone killed, and hadn't then been haunted by their ghosts. He didn't feel his actions were nearly as bad now, though he wasn't ever letting that happen again on his watch.

(The door slammed again, and Heather could hear it splintering loudly, even as the door held. Kurt and Ram were pressed tight against it, trying hard to keep it closed as Chandler held Veronica, now near the other unconscious girls. They didn't have much time left.)

The frigid air and slowly falling flakes caused goosebumps to rise on the two boys’ arms, and their breaths puffed out white. The ground was icy and slippery, and on multiple occasions, the had to right themselves from patches of invisible ice. Still, the had gone just around the building when the Squip stopped, standing beside a bush, the snow around the base brushed to the side, disturbing some of the snow on top. “Under this bush,” the Squip declared, and Jeremy got on his knees, pulling out a bag that was vaguely familiar. But where had he seen it?

“Isn't that Veronica’s?” Michael asked, and it clicked.

“Yeah, I think so.”

( J.D. felt sick as he watched the crowd of people slam into each other and the door. It wouldn't last much longer. He didn’t want this; be wanted the world to be a BETTER place.)

He pulled it open, and instantly spotted the soda. Pulling it out, Michael gasped. “It’s true. He wasn't lying. He’s HELPING us.”

Jeremy turned to look at the Squip again, eyes wide and filled with doubt. “But what about you?”

The Squip looked a bit conflicted, worry evident in his face. “I’ll be fine. I'll still be with you, just as I was last time, but now, maybe you’ll hear me. Maybe…”

(The door splintered again, and Chandler pulled Veronica closer, pressing another kiss to her head as her eyes filled with tears. “God, please, save her,” she whispered.)

He shook his head, face growing fierce. “You must drink now. Michael, call an ambulance, you're gonna need it.”

“Michael! We’ll need an ambulance!”

“Got it covered,” Michael said, dashing away and pulling out his phone.

(The door frame snapped and Kurt went flying forward while Ram fell to the side, the door about to give. Closing her eyes, Chandler whispered, “I love you.”)

Jeremy twisted off the lid, and didn't wait. He downed the drink.

Then, he drops the bottle, grabbing his head. He looks upward, and lets out a scream, not hearing the echoes of agony from inside the School.


	24. What Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter in this story! I've decided to do a sequel, mainly because that one will Gove me the chance to explore how things in this story are possible, and because I want to develop relationships a bit more. The last chapter, the one after this, will be an epilogue, and a teaser for the next thrilling enstallment. Also, expect one-shots based on certain things I decided would be hilarious to write, for instance; Dad, Dad, we're straight.
> 
> Much love!

It was three weeks later. Jeremy had downed the Mountain Dew Red, destroying all the Squips, and had sent himself and a few others to the hospital. Again. But he had done it; he had saved everyone! Or...mostly everyone. He sat next to Heather Chandler, eying the dark-haired girl in the hospital bed. Veronica. Chandler, who he had been introduced to officially two weeks earlier after coming out of his own coma, was snooty and a bitch, but she seemed to genuinely care about her friends.

“Is everyone okay?” He asked woozily upon waking up and finding the strength to speak, holding his head a bit. The blonde girl was absolutely flawless in every way, and sat in the chair next to him like it was a throne. It was a bit weird to feel so...useless and weak in comparison.

“Don't get your panties in a twist. No one died, that’s for fucking sure. You took your sweetass time getting to the Mountain Dew, Heere. But,” she said, drawing the word out a bit, her glare softening immensely. “You saved us. Without your help, Veronica would be in a fucking box in the ground, like Kurt, Ram and I. She’s not dead yet, and for that-"

She looked up at him, eyes a bit angry. Honestly, she looked pissed. Sighing, she said, “Thank you.”

“What an oddity. Heather Chandler was known for never saying thank you, even amongst her closest friends,” a familiar voice jolted Jeremy, and he turned, a slight smile breaking across his tired face, reaching all the way to his eyes. “You! You’re...still here!”

Chandler groaned, aggravation in every line of her face. “Jesus, Jeremy, you look insane, just think to him! And you!”

To both Jeremy and the Squip’s disbelief, she turned to look straight at the Squip, glaring. She stood, Jeremy realizing how tall she really was, and strode over to the hologram, poking him in the chest. Wait, how was that even possible?! The Squip stared, just as shocked. “If you ever do anything to hurt any of my bitches, I swear I will rip off you non-existent testicles and shove ‘em down your throat. Understand?!”

He nodded, a bit confused, then turned to Jeremy. “I was sure you weren't on any medication, but I don't believe my processors are working properly. Tell me, Heather, how can you touch me?”

She laughed, the sound a bit evil. Veronica had called her the Demon Queen once, and that made more sense now than anything else. “I died, haunted my best friend for poisoning me, and a tic tac gave me back my body, and that’s what you ask? If I had answers for any of this, I wouldn't be here. Why? Maybe because I’m not exactly REAL either. Make up your own fucking answer.”

Jeremy sighed, looking over to her. “Okay, but please, sit down. I don't have the energy for this.”

Chandler scoffed, but sat back down, looking the part of the evil prom queen. “Is Veronica okay?”

It was small. Jeremy probably wouldn't have noticed it, but he’d gotten a bit too good at seeing when people were uncomfortable, and Heather Chandler looked almost sick. She had paled a bit, and her eyes wouldn't meet his, instead turned toward one wall, distant. “Veronica almost died last week. They got to her just in time, but she hasn't gotten any closer to waking up. She had some brain hemorrhaging, but they were able to stop it. The good news is that it was already stopping, and didn't need surgery, because they would have had to slow her heart, and there wasn’t enough oxygen in her system to keep her brain alive for long.”

Jeremy was stony silent, eyes wide. This was serious. Brain hemorrhaging? He hadn't had any of that when HE lost his Squip. Why was it so severe for her? It seems Heather understood what he was thinking. “The doctors all think that some sort of sound bomb went off at the school, and that Veronica was the closest. The police are questioning Jason Dean to figure out more of the pieces. There’s also a lot of confusion when it comes to us; me, Kurt and Ram. They want to know how three kids that have been dead for a few months are suddenly alive and well, somehow not affected by what everyone else seems to have been hit with, and how they can explain any of this to anyone.”

Jeremy let out a little laugh. It was more than a little hysterical, but he preferred not to think about that. This all just felt like too much. “Oh, shut the fuck up, I died once. Go to therapy, talk with your damn Big Brother mind robot, and get over it. At least you didn't fucking kill anyone.”

“Jeremy. If you ever wished to be chill again, I would advise you to model yourself after her,” the Squip said, moving closer to Jeremy, hesitantly moving a hand toward Jeremy’s Head, slumping slightly when his hand went through.

“God, get a room,” Heather murmured, standing and leaving. Well, this was just getting stranger…  
\---

Chandler sat across from the bed, watching the girl’s chest rise and fall. The pace was steady and her breath was even, but it stayed slow, never spiking higher, something that was both a relief and a curse. It meant Veronica wasn't awake yet. It meant she wasn't waking up any time soon. Heather stood, walking slowly to her side, and she was almost afraid she might break something. She was afraid one wrong move might break the relative calm, and all that she had left of the other girl would be gone. Carefully, she got on her knees, tenderly lifting one of Veronica’s hands, staying away from the IV drip and the heart monitor.

Then, alone, in her one moment to herself with Veronica, she let a single sob out. No tears fell, no ugly snot, none of that. Her eyes burned and her throat tried to close, but she didn't let that happen. Instead, she lightly pressed her forehead to Veronica’s hand, waiting for the words to come to her.

“Come back to me, Veronica. We miss you. I miss you.”  
\---

So, here Jeremy was, sitting next to the Demon Queen, waiting at Veronica’s bedside. Why? Because she was his friend. It was such a weird feeling, being friends with someone he hadn't actually known. He felt supremely uncomfortable, though, looking over at Heather Chandler. She was almost crying, shoulders tensed up while her head hung down. He had seen them shake, once or twice, otherwise the girl had complete control of herself in that position. Finally, her shoulders slumped, and she raised her head, eyes wet. Jeremy felt an ache in his chest just looking at her. Heather Chandler was in misery. He didn't know what their friendship had been before, but it was pretty clear it was something deep and powerful, something as strong as his friendship with Michael. “Jeremy,” his Squip said, attempting to comfort him in some way. “Perhaps we should leave. We cannot hope for anything more now, we must let her wake up on her own.”

Jeremy didn't want to admit it, but his Squip was right, there was nothing more they could do. Standing, he gathered his courage, and brushed his hand over her shoulder. And in that moment, a flare of electricity, so powerful and deep it caused his to stumble back into his seat and clutch his now aching heart, shot through him, straight from Veronica. Heather was on her feet, trying to speak to him, but blood was rushing in his ears, and all he heard was his heart jumping fearfully in his chest. Then, he saw it. Colour flooding Veronica’s face. He gasped, trying to control his panting, and pointed, unable to even speak. In that moment, he wanted to hear the reassuring voice of his Squip, needed the comfort.

A strong, almost electrically-charged hand settled on his shoulder, but he didn't have the chance to turn. Doctors were rushing in as Veronica’s heartbeat spiked drastically, and he was pushed back with Chandler, the two watching, nearly shivering with adrenaline. Then, dark lashes fluttered, brown eyes swivelled around, and pinned onto Heather. In a strange moment, a rather unbelievable moment, the doctors stopped moving, equally as shocked by her sudden wakefulness, and she blinked in confusion. “Heather, am I dead?”

Heather let out a little chuckle, but it was a weak, terrified sound.”No. You aren't dead, Ronnie, but we sure as Hell have been waiting for you.”

Then, Heather sank to the floor, and the doctors swarmed Veronica. Jeremy didn't know what to do; he wasn't needed there, and Heather didn't look Like she wanted to go anywhere anytime soon. So, he twirled on his heel, and nearly sprinted out the door, slowing as a nurse called for him not to run. He made it to a private bathroom, closed the door, and splashed his face with cold water. His heart was still pounding. What had happened when he touched Veronica? Was this temporary, and was she staying awake? What was going on?!

“Jeremy, calm down,” his Squip said, finally breaking through to him. “Veronica will be fine; she will make a full and speedy recovery, and that electric shock won't return.”

“How do you know?!” He spat raggedly, unable to stop himself from shouting the words.

Then, the strong hand clasped his shoulder again, and he felt the tingling electricity of it. Finally, he looked up, and what he saw made him freeze. His Squip had his hand out, extended toward him, and it was touching his shoulder. WITHOUT GOING THROUGH! His eyes, already wide, stretched open wider, and his mouth fell open. “What-" he started, but he couldn't find the words.

The Squip was smiling brilliantly. “I can touch you. I can touch you!” 

Then, he hauled the boy into a hug, whirling the two of them around while he laughed in a carefree manner. Jeremy, for his part, was absolutely exhausted. This was too much to take in a day. So, he let his Squip hug him, silently enjoying the comfort of physical contact, and thought about Veronica and Heather. What was gonna happen now?


	25. Something Evil Lurks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le Epilogue

In a dark room, lit only by a small bulb directly overhead, a man sat, reading an article in LIFE Magazine. It was about the miraculous and sudden revival of a girl in a mysterious coma. The girl, one Veronica Sawyer, had nearly died from what was believed to have been a sound bomb, set off by her previous boyfriend, a boy believed to have been dead, who admitted to the murder of three of their former classmates. Of course, the man though a nicely to himself, the magazine would stop just short of the truth; the truth was that those three students had somehow come back to life, with our without their bodies, and Verinca Sawyer was at the Center of it all.

He threw the book carelessly, standing as the door behind him opened. "They won't fund the research until we discover what needs to be tested, and devise a hypothesis on the current outcomes," the second man said, snapping on a light, bathing the walls a clinical white. In front of them, a large corkboard was covered in pictures, article fragments, written notes, and diagnoses. The second man let his eyes rove over the words, searching carefully. Then, he pointed to a picture. It was a boy, somewhere around sixteen, with brown hair and an awkward smile.

"Him. He's our link to this. Four months prior to this incident, he was a no one. In a matter of weeks, he had become one of the most popular students, had a sharp rise in grade performance, and began to act "unusual", as others stated to our informant. After a rather odd school play, he was hospitalized for severe mental stress to his brain. Then, his performance in class sank again, he began to act more normally, but his friends changed drastically, almost having altered personalities."

He tapped the boy's face with his fingers, eyes narrowed. "Jeremy Heere. Veronica Sawyer. What really happened at the end of December, and what are you hiding?"  
\---

Jeremy sat next to Christine, feeling uncomfortable. What could he say? A month ago, the two had been closer than ever, and very much in love, but then, in an instant, a wedge had been driven between them. That wedge? Their Squips. Having a voice in your head made it hard to connect with others sometimes, but having that voice able to physically touch you? It was impossible for him to connect with his girlfriend. Christine was perfectly still, and before he could open his mouth, Christine spoke. "I don't know why we've been dating for the last two weeks."

It was like a punch. Jeremy loved her still, but they couldn't seem to reach each other. Now, it felt more like she had given up entirely for two weeks. Christine's whole face dropped, and she instantly looked remorseful. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. It's just- we started dating, and I was so happy, and I think you were pretty happy, too. But then, we started to...get a little distant. You came to practices and we had fun, but we didn't seem to connect very well. You connected better with Veronica than me, and I think it's because you had something in common. You both felt responsible for what you did. But me and you...We don't have anything in common. Sure, you go to play rehearsal, but you don't like it too much. And I don't really like video games, but you Love them. We tried, but we couldn't quite work, and now..."

She looked at him, insecure. She had just admitted that she had felt this for such a long time, even if he hadn't. Jeremy hung his head, gut twisting in agony. "You're right," he said quietly, and she wanted to cry. It just wasn't fair!

"We don't have anything in common. We DID try, but our Squips have effectively destroyed any chance of us being together."

Christine nodded, biting her lip. "So, I guess this is...The end? Of us as a couple?"

Jeremy nodded, but he wouldn't look at her. Even though he knew they needed to have this conversation, a part of him had wanted him to tell her they could keep trying, that they would make it. Instead, he held his tongue, knowing the real reason he had to end this. Christine's face momentarily twisted with agony before finally going blank. Finally, Jeremy spoke.

"Christine, this is really hard for me to say, but I love you. I don't want this to end, but...I think I may love someone else, too. And I can't hurt you anymore. I can't torment myself anymore."

Christine wiped at her eyes, laughing. "Well, of course you Love someone else. I mean, even I'm not that blind."

He looked at her, gulping. "Can we try and be friends? And be happy for each other?"

"I don't know, Jeremy. I'm in a lot of pain right now."

"I'll wait for you to text me," he replied, and stood. Christine watched him walk away, eyes blurring with hot tears. She wanted him to be happy. And if Michael made him happy, so be it.

Meanwhile, Jeremy thought on the Squip. Was it even possible to have a relationship with it? It was a hologram that could touch him, but that didn't necessarily mean it could love. As the two went their separate ways, a misunderstanding formed between them. And it would not resolve for a long time, not until that summer...


End file.
